John Guare’s acclaimed 1990 drama Six Degrees Of Separation, which was memorably filmed with Will Smith and Donald Sutherland, explores a wide range of contemporary issues, ranging from the ephemeral nature of the contemporary art market to the inability that well-heeled New Yorkers have with understanding the world outside their Fifth Avenue penthouses. EM Forster might have exhorted his readers to ‘Only connect’, but for Guare, ‘connecting’ is something that the wealthy do to catch a train to the Hamptons. First class, naturally.
The plot concerns a charismatic young man (an excellent performance from the hitherto little-known Obi Abili) who appears at the apartment of the well-heeled art dealer Flan and his wife Ouisa (Anthony Head and Lesley Manville), appearing to be the victim of a violent mugger. He presents himself as a close friend of their children, and the son of Sidney Poitier to boot. The couple are charmed and initially beguiled by Paul’s easy, erudite manner, but it soon becomes clear that he is both less, and more, than he originally appears.
Guare’s play alternates between the genuinely profound and compelling and slightly irritating faux-Brechtian alienation – lots of characters speaking directly to the audience – but at 90 minutes it never outstays its welcome and, in Abili’s compelling and multi-faceted performance, offers a fascinating character study of a man whose intelligence and charm are equally matched by his guile and consummate dishonesty.
Until 3rd April. Old Vic, The Cut, SE1. www.oldvictheatre.com
