West End finds a new star in Simon Merrells

Has London discovered a new theatrical star? The rave reviews for Simon Merrells's performance in a revival of On the Waterfront suggest so. Directed by Steven Berkoff, the play opened on Thursday night at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket to unanimous acclaim, with Nicholas de Jongh at the Evening Standard giving it a rare five stars and praising Merrells's "extraordinary impact" in the lead role of Terry Malloy, the washed-up boxer working in the docks of Hoboken, New Jersey.

This was the role that made Marlon Brando's name in the 1954 film of the same name. While Brando could not be here – he died in 2004 – the man who wrote the film's screenplay and the stage version, Budd Schulberg, did make it from New York for the opening. Schulberg, now 95, said Merrells was a worthy successor to Brando. "I thought he did amazingly well, without trying to copy Brando's performance," he said.

In the Daily Telegraph, Charles Spencer agrees that the 42-year-old Merrells – who has previously worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company and on television in Family Affairs - delivers a "knockout performance". He paid Merrells the compliment: "You forget about Brando when you are watching his aggressive, vulnerable, touchingly inarticulate performance".
 
Berkoff himself plays the gangster boss Johnny Friendly  – "a paunchy monster who exudes menace whether he's lolling, smiling or ferociously spilling out rage at his foes," according to Benedict Nightingale in the Times. ·