A perfect night out at My Night With Reg

By Esh Alladi

When My Night with Reg opened in 1994 it was an undeniable success garnering many prestigious awards both at the Royal Court and in the West End when it 20 years ago. It deserves similar plaudits for this beautifully balanced and intricate production at the Donmar Warehouse.

The play is a comedy of sexual manners among a group of gay men ghosted with a theme of unrequited love and death. It is set in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS epidemic and opens at the housewarming of Guy, a fastidious house-proud copywriter and a reluctant but constant singleton. Guy has gathered a small group of friends for the evening, including old university friend John for whom he has an enduring but unspoken infatuation. It transpires in the subsequent scenes, largely as a result of this awkward flat-warming, that Reg is rather generous with his love - sleeping with everyone in this circle of friends. We never meet Reg; his absence is palpably felt in both hilarious and tragic circumstances.

It is a shame that author Kevin Elyot will never be able to see this brilliant revival having died in June this year. Alan Hollinghurst describes him in his touching programme note as a tight plotter who wasted nothing and who had a proper respect for coincidence. The delight of this play is how each twist and turn of the plot are always believable, often rip roaringly funny but just as frequently heartachingly sad. These moments are accentuated by the taut and sophisticated direction from Robert Hastie and an excellent cast who embody their characters' idiosyncrasies with a sensational lightness of touch.

Jonathan Broadbent is particularly a joy to watch, whether compulsively fluffing pillows or brushing back his floppy mop of hair. There is great work from Julian Ovenden as public school hunk John, who 'launches himself at furniture' and Geoffrey Streatfield as the camp and effervescent Daniel. It would be a disservice not to mention the rest of the cast who give equally detailed performances: Richard Cant is adorably boring, Matt Bardock perfect as his long suffering partner and Lewis Reeves delights as the seemingly naive decorator, Eric.

Although this is a play with solely male characters all of whom are gay this is not just a 'gay play'. It speaks to a universal human struggle. We are asked to think about our deepest feelings - do we keep them concealed or say them out loud at risk of hurting or losing our most important friendships? Ultimately we are denied a happy resolution and fate in the guise of a disease which controls the outcomes of these men.

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