The Play: Admissions by
The Company: The MTC
The Theatre: The Sumner, Southbank
On until: 12 April
I commented to Jay on the way to this that the 2022 season of the MTC had got off to such a great start that this may be a bit of a disappointment. It was that sort of feeling, not knowing what you're going into, but still looking forward to going to the performance regardless.
My gut instinct turned out to be right - was this as good as Touching the Void or Fun Home? No - but it doesn't mean it was bad - just different.
Admissions is a very wordy play. According to the MTC website, the play is about "Sherri Rosen-Mason is head of admissions at an exclusive high school; her husband Bill is the principal. They are passionately committed to increasing the number of students at the school from culturally and linguistically varied backgrounds, and they’re starting to see results. But when their son’s application to Yale is deferred, it sets in motion a chain of events that will test their convictions to the very core."
I was in about three minds about this play throughout. It's a play about power and privilege, which is being portrayed to an audience, by extension, who have power and privilege. It is also very American, as Jay pointed out, we don't have the Ivy League - but we hear enough about it over here to know what is going on - and the play makes some very pointed statements about white privilege.
Was I convinced about this play? Not entirely. But the performances were solid. Kat Stewart is great as the morally conflicted Sherri. For me, William McKenna, who played the son, stole the show with a 15 minute monologue at the crux of the matter. The staging and direction were solid. What more do you want from the price of the ticket? It is certainly entertaining, but you do have to keep your ear on this.
And you do come away thinking just how far you are willing to go to change the world you live in - which at the end of the day, is a result.
The season of the MTC has extended the season of this out by a few weeks, given its popularity. It's worth a look.
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