REVIEW: A BUTCHER OF DISTINCTION by Rob Hayes at The Barons Court Theatre

‘The seedier side of London is exposed with taut power play and horrifying consequences’ ★★★★

First performed in 2011 at The Cock Tavern Theatre, Rob Hayes’ A BUTCHER OF DISTINCTION has lost none of its power to shock and horrify. In this new production by JUST A REGULAR HOUSE the play gets a site-specific showing in Barons Court theatre, which happens to be in the basement of a pub.

Two brothers have travelled from their rural home to a pub cellar which their late father had made his London home. They are clearing through his belongings, trawling for a possible will, which might help them out of their financial crisis, but instead they find themselves collateral for his debts. When a menacing stranger enters the basement, the fate of all three becomes a ghastly power play with horrifying consequences for all of them.

A beautifully written and constructed play, a gripping drama which has a very powerful story and lays bare some hard-to-talk-about themes. The complicated relationship of abuser and abused is fully exposed.  The drip drip of the awful dilemma in which the twin sons find themselves, with the stakes incrementally rising, is played out brilliantly by Joseph Ryan-Hughes as the weaker and younger twin and Connor McCrory as the harder bitten but sensitive older brother.

Ethan Reid as the stranger is believable in his role with excellent attention to physicality, although at times he perhaps pushes it almost too far (into parody) and needs to keep a tight rein on the characterisation.

Also coming in for heaps of praise is the music by Ethan Reid and Connor McCrory, with vocal arrangements by Virginia Ruspini which adds a feeling of suspenseful terror at just the right moments without ever distracting from the dialogue. The show is directed by Macadie Amoroso economically, with the seedier side of London fully exposed, it’s not a production for the feint hearted but lovers of the horror genre will find it very gratifying.

Photographer credit: James Lahaise

A Butcher of Distinction

Barons Court theatre

At The Curtains Up pub

1 - 12 November, 7:30 pm

Box Office: https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/a-butcher-of-distinction

Produced by Just A Regular House Productions

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine