Success Story

Catapulted into the limelight with the release of his Oscar-nominated film Walking With Theresa, director Raymond is hailed as an overnight success. Hollywood loves him, his girlfriend loves him; everybody loves Raymond…except his ex.

Recently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, this is a play which offers an uncomfortable peep into the towering world of our celebrity-worshipping times. Gone is the glitter and glamour associated with Hollywood; they have been replaced by tedious interviews (“Susan Sarandon is a dream”) and false friends (“Raymond? He’s a genius”).

This is a dark and cynical journey that ties characters that are not particularly likeable to an idea not particularly new. When Raymond’s ex-girlfriend appears, the play launches into a compelling melodrama that only just stops itself from veering into complete histrionics. Despite this, it is an engaging production written and performed by Brett Goldstein, a Raymondesque success story himself.

Secrets are gradually revealed through arguments portrayed uncomfortably close to the bone: there is a real thread of humanity running through them which Goldstein exhibits beautifully. Indeed, arguing is turned into an art form here, with each stage—rejection, admission, humiliation and wild emotion—portrayed with bitter intensity.

It results in an intelligent, almost voyeuristic drama; you are never quite sure who to believe, never mind support. Harrowing and sharp, this play succeeds in depicting the ultimately lonely world of fame and success.