Two workers, Brendan (Gareth George) and Al (Joe Bateman)
start work in the basement of a building. Their instructions are precise but
mysterious, there are strict rules that must not be broken, and both seem
afraid of the consequences of failure to follow the rules and step over the
lines, real or imaginary. This play, written by one of the performers, Gareth
George, examines themes of trust, fear, deception and misdirection of each
other and the audience.
This is a play where nothing much actually happens, there
is little narrative, a lot of it makes no sense whatsoever, it has a slightly
unsatisfying ending and a lack of any explanation of circumstances or
characters. This is just the type of writing that usually drives me mad. It
often indicates a lack of respect for an audience and a writer who wants to
show off. But somehow here, despite a long week of theatre going, and possibly
an increasingly short attention span, I really enjoyed it and was gripped for
the majority of it!
I think it was probably down to the quality of the
performances from George and Bateman, together with an interesting script, a
simple but effective staging, and excellent sound that combined to great effect
to build a sense of menace and intrigue. The character of Brendan in particular
was fascinating, often inconsistent, possibly hiding something, possibly behind
this whole strange situation. Al was a more 'straight up' kind of guy, wanting
to get the job done but clearly in great fear of the consequences of not
delivering to the brief.
It wasn't perfect, I think there was probably one
character that was surplus to requirements, and that strangely unsatisfying
ending, but I personally was completely absorbed, enjoyed it, it made me think
and stayed with me long after I left the venue.
No comments:
Post a Comment