Simon (Andy Blake) is the radical intellectual who keeps himself aloof from the rabble and appears to see his life in the University's finance department as somewhat beneath him, bubbly and over the top Lisa (Amy Drake) is obsessed with cats, celebrity gossip and recording every perceived slight in her 'bullying diary'. Whilst both are initially drawn as extremes of the kind of characters you might meet in office life, as they become trapped in their workplace, which the 'multitude' are threatening to blow up as a protest, their characters and backgrounds are revealed to have much more depth, as we discover both are lonely, isolated and hiding secrets, and, through the exchanging of a few home truths, a connection is formed.
I really enjoyed this play. The humour is well played by the two leads, Drake in particular has some hilarious non verbal moments as she reacts to events, but both actors deliver excellent comedy performances and spark off each other well. The more touching elements are also nicely judged and there is some thoughtful detail, and the pace of the piece works well, the one hour running time flies by. The plot device of the multitude is maybe a little unrealistic, but it serves it's purpose in throwing these two seemingly disparate characters together and forcing them to communicate openly with each other.
Great comedy blended with touching detail, well delivered by a strong cast, I'm really glad I got a chance to see it.
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