ContreCoup by Ross Andrews - Second Nature Theatre Company
(a new play by Ross Andrews)There's something decadent about leaving a theatre at midnight and stepping outside with a warm glow within as a result of a play you've just seen - well as future performance times remain at 10.45pm, you too can indulge yourself in a little bit of naughty midnight pleasure - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Don't let the subject matter of Ross Andrew's new play put you off - a husband left to care for his severely incapacitated wife following a car crash may sound like an evening of bedpans, morose lamentings and dribbling, but it isn't (well there is dribbling then). It's a well cast play with both a heart and humour, an ideal combination, aided nobly by excellent acting and a 'proper' script.
Proceedings open with Malcolm (Richard Sails) making a house call on his Richard (Ian Curley) his son-in-law. "I was just passing" says Malcolm - "We live in a cul-de-sac" Richard replies - the tone is set for their early exchanges.
Richard, a children's writer, has given up his work along with just about everything else and dedicates his life to looking after his wife Sarah who is wheelchair bound following the accident - the severity of her brain contusion renders her impervious to events around her - Richard has accepted her condition and despite still loving her, openly acknowledges that he has lost the person who was his wife. Malcolm is quite the opposite and in total denial about his daughter's sad state, chatting to her and expressing concern about the quality of her life as though she still has an awareness of events - he's also scornful of Richard's attitude. Check that, he's actually scornful of pretty much everything and anybody...typical happy families then!
The established status quo look set to continue, until that is, a catalyst appears...in the shapely and leggy form of Penny (Amanda Leigh Owen), a SWF new neighbour who moves into the close. She's certainly not backward at coming forward and her vampish radar immediately targets Richard as someone she'd like to borrow a cup of sugar from...regularly! The quintet is completed by lovely cameo from Katie McArdle, who plays Michelle, a home help nurse; her whimsical musings are always amusing (especially the references to sombreros).
I liked the way the key characters developed - though they were slightly lager than life, it was a case of all being proportionally so. The staging made us feel comfortable voyeurs and the effective use of rear projection added genuine poignancy.
Thankfully the drama never played 'the victim' card, so we were able to view Sarah's plight impassively (Hazel Earle's excellent silent portrayal is almost forgotten but essential).
The humour worked well too; Malcolm's views on when 'full marital relations' are appropriate are eye-opening lets say and the moment when Malcolm bursts through the door with a pair of binoculars is sublime farce.
For me the scene where Malcolm applied make-up to Sarah was a too long (or introduce the projection earlier) and perhaps Malcolm could have offered glimmers of his real feelings earlier as that would have added more meaning (humanity) to his initial encounters with Richard which were a bit one-dimensional. But these are minor grumblings
I sensed the small audience present thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that the performances over the next 3 days are more heavily populated - there's no excuse not to see it!
Run time: 70 mins (no interval)
Stoon
