Much darker than last year’s comedy Eating Out, “ContreCoup” refers to the brain injury which lawyer Sarah sustained in a car accident and which has left her as a wheel-chair-bound cabbage. Several years on, the eternal triangle between Sarah, her husband Richard (now a full-time carer) and her interfering father Malcolm is fractured when a glamorous career-woman moves in across the road.
"Poor Sarah with her spastic limbs and constant dribbling is movingly and convincingly portrayed by Hazel Earle; her powerful stage presence recalls A Day in the Death of Joe Egg."
Ian Curley’s Richard is both likeable and cynical, and his growing relationship with the man-eating Penny (Amanda Leigh Owen) is entirely credible.
Richard Sails as ex-policeman Malcolm is nothing short of magnificent in a performance that seems to go beyond mere acting, and Katie McArdle has a lovely comic cameo as the hairdresser turned home-help Michelle (well worth catching on the 247 podcast).
As usual Ross Andrews’ script is flawless in structure, characterisation and story-telling, and his dialogue is effortlessly witty. Sue McGeorge’s direction does more than justice to this wonderful play.
