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I am somewhat acquainted with the work of Mike Bartlett (though not this play), so I had a reasonable idea of what to expect from the evening. I was anticipating an engrossing, thinky drama with humour and lots to discuss in the bar afterwards. Well I got all of that, and a bit more.
Director Nick Edwards rose to the challenge of directing in the round – and this piece was absolutely right for that choice of staging. I loved the boxing ring vibe of the set – so simple, but so effective, with the characters circling each other, spoiling for a fight and then coming together for more initimate moments. It created proper dramatic tension and sense of conflict which suited the piece perfectly.
Samuel Littley’s lights, as always, enhanced the mood of the piece and the sound by Stephen Ley propelled the drama along to its conclusion. It wasn’t exactly a satisfying conclusion – but it wasn’t meant to be and it certainly provoked a lively discussion afterwards.
Harry Apps as John, the only fully named character, gave a compelling performance as the conflicted, indecisive soul who is clearly unhappy but doesn’t seem to know why or how to fix it. In the first half, he was a sympathetic character that you wanted to take care of, but towards the end I’d had enough of his vacillating and messing people about. So a neat trick of the writing, directing and acting to make you want to like John at first, but then find him really, really annoying.
Mickey Gibbons as M was excellent as John’s frustrated long-term partner. Despite his uptight, fussy persona, he had some of the funniest lines in the piece. Still laughing over the Ray Winstone comment – delivered with exactly the right comic timing.
Meher Baluch as W gave a strong performance as John’s female love interest – and her mounting frustration with the entirely John-created situation was evident.
There was nice interplay between M and his father (F) played by Dave Wainwright, who gave a solid performance in a rather two-dimensional role. I could see his dramatic purpose for the piece – and he did an excellent job of moving the action along - but his character did not feel as nuanced as the others.
The first half was very engrossing and we were all dying to know what was going to happen. The second half, while engaging and with some cracking dialogue, somehow sagged a little as John’s indecision became more and more frustrating for the people who loved him (despite everything) and the audience alike. And still the ending was ambiguous – does he stay with M – or does he leave? We all agreed afterwards that whether he stayed or left he definitely didn’t put the cushions away.
As a stage manager (as well as occasional reviewer), I ALWAYS look out for props and set dressing to see if I can comment on inaccuracies or lack of attention to detail, however in a show with no props whatsoever, I was absolutely forced to concentrate on the drama and the performances – which was, in the final analysis, a good thing. This well-acted and tightly directed piece exploring identity and sexual politics was well worth a couple of hours of my full attention.
So I got my humorous and thought-provoking evening and an entertaining chat afterwards. I got no opportunity to moan about props that weren’t up to scratch. I call that a good night out at the Tower Theatre.
Photography by Pau Ros
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