Mixed bag for Christchurch
Lynn FreemanTHESE six short plays offer a remarkably mixed bag to the audience. Five months, the programme tells us, of wrangling and clearly hard work has gone into the fund raising show for the people of Christchurch.
The order in which I saw them happened to be (almost) the order in which I most liked them. Uther Dean wrote and acted in Everything is Surrounded by Water, with Hannah Banks both directing and taking part on the night by barking commands at him from the auditorium. The monologue in which a lifetime is encapsulated in just a few minutes is riveting and moving – and disconcerting. Alex Lodge’s unnerving story Remains is lit solely and extremely effectively by torchlight alone under the direction of Ralph McCubbin-Howell. There is a post apocalyptic feel to the piece, and alongside the characters we feel trapped in an old dusty basement which has witnessed horrors. Sheena and Jamie, Thomas Sainsbury’s contribution, was also ten minutes thoughtfully spent, with his story of an old woman who first seems creepy with her dusty biscuits and promises to sponsorship money for her young neighbour. Jane Waddell is a sheer delight as the old girl who ultimately is a lonely soul worthy of spending time with.
So, these three were terrific. The other three plays were – not. They all suffered from scripts that lacked focus, and consequently interest, despite how much fun the casts were clearly having on stage. They just weren’t short enough to keep my interest.









Have Your Say
0 Comments
No comments.