Review – Love Song

WEW had a rare treat last night.

In the first few minutes of John Kolvenbach’s new play Love Song at the New Ambassadors theatre (in the heart of London’s famous West End) Scream “star” Neve Campbell fluffed her lines, clutched her head in her hands and spat out the word “sh*t” in self-rebuke.

WEW have seen actors forget their lines before but rarely in such a spectacular fashion.

In fairness to Neve it was an early preview and she quickly regained her composure but WEW found it much harder to forget. Andrew was poised like a vulture eyeing it’s prey. He (who spent three years studying drama at university and is therefore an expert on such things) is a proponent of the Noel Coward/Spencer Tracy/Alfred Lunt (depending on which book of quotations you read) school and believes the fundamentals of acting to be (a) remembering your lines and (b)not bumping into the furniture.

While Neve and others failed on (a) at this performance, we are pleased to report although much furniture moves around the stage, this highly professional and starry cast universally managed to dodge every sofa with aplomb.

But back to Neve. Now WEW had put the Scream (1,2 and 3) actress on probation back in March after witnessing the execrable Resurrection Blues at the Old Vic, directed by the now late Robert Altman. (If WEW had an ounce of charity they would now give Altman the benefit of the doubt. But they don’t). Campbell is better in this than she was in Resurrection Blues, but her performance in Love Song is sadly its weakest link.

Love Song concerns an apparently disturbed young man Beane, (Cillian Murphy) who is largely ignored by his self-obsessed sister (Kristen Johnston) and husband (Michael McKean). Following a break-in at his apartment by burglar Molly (Neve Campbell) Beane falls in love and all their lives are affected.

Apart from Neve’s spectacular fluff what surprised the whingers most is that Love Song is actually very funny. One scene between the fabulous Kristen Johnston (Third Rock From The Sun) and WEW favourite Michael McKean (This Is Spinal Tap, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration) had them laughing throughout. Expert comedy performances. WEW see Ms Johnston as a future Martha in Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. There is no higher praise we can give to a salty-old-broad actress.

Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Girl With a Pearl Earring, Batman Begins, Breakfast on Pluto) is excellent too.

As usual, both West End Whingers were a bit lost when trying to tie down what the play is “about”, but without revealing too much about the plot Love Song is probably concerned with the effects of love, survival strategies and the life-limiting nature of reality. Is love madness? What is reality? Are we constrained by our own realities? Phew, sounds heavy and it may not be about any of these things.

But it doesn’t matter. Love Song is tremendously entertaining. And while we can’t promise the spectacular lapse we witnessed, grab an early preview and you may just get lucky.