An Intervention by Mike Bartlett

by Mike Bartlett

A touching, funny play about what happens when you hate your best friend.

One of them went on the anti-war protest, shouted their lungs out, then got horrendously and staggeringly drunk. The other stayed at home, watched TV for a bit, and thought about the future.

An Intervention premiered at the Watford Palace Theatre in April 2014, in a co-production with Paines Plough.

"Engaged, entertaining and forthright... not only politically engaged but also fiercely uncompromising in its mission to entertain." - Exeunt Magazine

"Incisive, intimate, closely focused… has Bartlett's astute wit and extraordinary ability to pinpoint the way maturity can suddenly slip away." - Financial Times

"Superb… intensely dramatic." - WhatsOnStage

"Nimble and elegant… [a] smart two-hander." - The Stage

Mike Bartlett is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been seen at theatres including the National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Bush Theatre and Sheffield Theatres in the UK, and off-Broadway in New York.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Contemporary

Paperback

First published April 17, 2014

About the author

Michael Bartlett is a British playwright. Mike Bartlett was born on 7 October 1980 in Abingdon, Oxford, England. He attended Abingdon School, then studied English and Theatre Studies at the University of Leeds. In October 2013, Mike won Best New Play at The National Theatre Awards for his play Bull, beating plays from both Alan Ayckbourn and Tom Wells.

(source)

Reviews

[Tuti · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent. sad and funny and very timely fast paced double-act about friendship in times when different (political) opinions become reasons to hate each other - but friendship is still necesary to survive.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny and erudite play about friendship and the many different types of interventions one plays out when dealing with someone you both love and hate at the same time.

[Emina Buket · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eğlenceli bir kitapti.

Arada bir de Storytelde Damla Sönmezin sesinden dinlemek tam bir radyo tiyatrosunda tadında oldukça keyifliydi. Ama kitap dinlemek seslendiren çok başarılı da olsa bana göre değil gibi.

[Laur · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a weird play! And so intense

TW: mentions of suicide and a suicide attempt on stage

What a whirlwind.

A and B discuss some interesting issues but they don't really get anywhere, and then it has this big shocking ending, and for what?

A very strange play indeed.

[Henry Fosdike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to start - why name them A and B? - but builds nicely. Can't really think of anything to add. A simple idea executed solidly.

[Carl Royle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter asked me to read this as she is using one of the monologues for an audition
I was pleasently surprised and found the play both entertaining and thought provoking
Recommended

[Isil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tamam bir şeyler anlatmaya çalışmış ve dikkat çeken birkaç bölümü vardı ama ne okudum, neden okudum, bana ne kattı şimdi diye düşünmeden edemedim. O yüzden de maalesef puanım 2.

[İlhanCa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storytelde radyo tiyatrosu tadında bir eser olarak dinledim..çelişkiler yumağı diyebileceğimiz ilişkiler içeriyor..

[Maxine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah I'm sorry but it's mid. Reeks of privilege and lack of real care from the author.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 ⭐ rounded down
I don't really have much to say about this tbh. Not the best, not the worst.

[Evren Erarslan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Savaş hakkında iki zıt görüşe sahip olan karakterlerden birinin alkol ile problemi bulunmakta. Evlilik istemeyen erkek karakter, bir anda kadın karakterden kopmuştur ve birbirleriyle ilişkilerinin neden koptuğu ile alakalı birbirilerini suçlamaktadırlar. Metinde savaş ana eksende gibi dururken, karakterlerin ilişkiye bakış açılarını da aslında boşvermişlik-kuralcılık ekseninde şekillendiriyor. Daha fazla içli dışlı olabilirdi bana kalırsa. Finali ise biraz zayıf bitti.

[Josefine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a universal play about interpersonal relationships and politics - or rather, I should say, life as a whole. A and B are characters but they also function as types, which has an almost allegorical effect; the same is true for the political conflict that lies at the centre of the plot: by not naming names, it remains up to the reader (or viewer) to draw their own conclusions, making An Intervention a piece of literature/theatre that will feel current and immediate for a very long time.

[Bizzy Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and ultimately warming, I felt like this was lacking something. Perhaps owing to staging - 2 stooges, the 'tennis' of the dialogue. Less about the world and more about how we navigate our personal relationships within it.

[Elle Jenkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

The dialogue was excellent, but the whole thing just felt pointless. A bit of a waste of an afternoon, not for me.