The Donmar’s new show, The York Realist, dates from 2001. The programme notes tell us that the playwright, Peter Gill, ‘is one of the most important and influential writers and directors of the past 30 years’. Who wrote that? Not Peter Gill, I hope. The play, directed by Robert Hastie, follows a gay affair between a strapping Yorkshire cowherd and a sensitive London artiste. They meet while rehearsing an am-dram production of a mystery play set in a ruined abbey. Gay men will enjoy this charmingly acted production but it’s apt to bore the general audience because the characters are trite, the gay theme feels antiquated and the storyline is as light as a Post-It note.
It doesn’t help that Peter Gill writes like a newcomer at a creative writing weekend. He ignores Rule One of drama: a character without a motive is not a character. Gill sets his scene in a kitchen and he inserts five characters — Barbara, Jack, Doreen, Arthur and Mother — but gives none of them a dramatic purpose other than to be nice.
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