Detroit - National Theatre

Detroit is the hilarious, shocking and hard-hitting new play from Lisa D'Amour. Set in an unknown 'first-ring' suburb, D'Amour's play deals with the relationships and dynamics between two couples - Ben and Mary, and Kenny and Sharon. Austin Pendleton directs this terrific ensemble, creating an exciting and current piece of theatre.
The performances in this production are terrific and tragically comic; Justine Mitchell's Mary is dry and filled with bubbling emotions whilst Will Adamsdale plays Kenny as a frantic and dangerous character who really sets this play alight, igniting a visceral energy which ripples throughout the audience. Clare Dunne as Sharon, in the latter part of the one act drama, also offers a highly kinetic performance which is thrilling to watch. There are some truly comic moments in this production, one featuring a lot of alcohol and loud music, which really highlights the tragedy of the chracters' lives; Pendleton and D'Amour give the audience some striking contrasts which are beautiful, but at the same time are also disturbing as we see these characters' lives spiral out of control in such a hectic and care-free manner. The staging is also inventive and possesses a voyeuristic quality which adds to the intimacy of the production. 
The last fifteen minutes of this intoxicating production, however, fails to ignite the same energy that the play previously possessed and feels ever so slightly dull. I found myself wondering why we needed the inclusion of a fifth character to spell out what had just happened to the audience as if we hadn't just seen the play. It added nothing and took away some of the surreal magic of the previous scene.
Despite the disappointing ending, this is great piece of theatre which I loved and would highly recommend. I would have been tempted to give Detroit a full five stars, however because of the ending I am going to have to knock it down a star to four.