I found ‘My Master Builder,’ to be the ultimate case of a show with heaps of lost potential. There were so many different avenues the story could’ve taken, and so many interesting plot points that could’ve been explored which were left discarded and treated as throwaway lines that failed to add sufficient meaning to the storyline.
Although the show lacked drastically in the structural and thematic aspects, the worst part of the show was the writing. The dialogue was very unnatural and mostly depicted the exact emotions the characters felt instead of having nuance and hidden meanings within the text. The combination of modern terminology with poetic language felt unusual and misplaced.
Ewan McGregor and Elizabeth Debicki, both portraying the main characters Henry and Hilda in My Master Builder recited their lines as though they were chanting in a monotone chorus. Their performances didn’t stand out and their chemistry severely lacked. I felt as though I was watching two accomplished actors performing with no passion for the work, completely indifferent and simply mediocre. I wasn’t in the slightest bit convinced that these characters had been pining for one another, missing each other for years. All the baggage that came with their past was spoken of but the consequences and the pain weren’t justly demonstrated through their tone, delivery, movements, and facial expressions.
The blocking between certain instances also felt unmotivated and unconvincing. For instance, when Hilda walks in slow strides toward Henry, it doesn’t feel calculated, careful, or seductive; it feels stiff. Henry’s character, although not constructed well by the playwright, still kept enough room for interpretation on Ewan Mcgregor’s behalf who chose to convey nothing in his mannerisms except for the explicit written directions.
Everything was displayed for the audience and yet nothing was left to discover. Instead of feeling like I was taken through a narrative journey with well-paced development with clear motivations behind the character’s intentions, I was left unsatisfied.
Theatre in London U of A 