home
|
about
|
news
|
contents
|
gossip
|
photographs
|
venues
|
brighton
|
dublin
|
edinburgh
|
film
|
features
|
interviews
|
awards
|
fashion
|
recipes
|
no more drinks
|
newsletter
|
links
|
contact
Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Dearly Departed
Verdict: End of the affair
Dearly Departed is a short drama about relationship break-up from a cast of two (1F 1M), running time 30 minutes.
A woman and man wait on a station for her train and departure from their relationship to a new future - with, it's hinted, a new man.
In its present form Dearly Departed is poor in quality as a play. The territory is familiar to the point of cliché - everyone's been in love; everyone's broken up on a train platform. It says nothing new, and in very badly-written dialogue. Lines like 'I just don't want to talk about it right now' do nothing for dramatic tension, convey nothing, and give the actors nothing to work with.
Both characters look great. The woman (Nicola Cross) is pretty and elegant, with graceful blonde hair, chic black-striped skirt, white belt, polo-neck top, black boots and a ripe Hull accent that sounds sexy. The man (Luke Dominy) is handsome, tall and lean with dark hair, aptly nerdy for the character in blue shirt, black trousers, and grey tie. They're obviously gifted actors, but have little to go on.
'Yes I remember fucking Barcelona' points to a holiday the characters have shared, which could have started an interesting direction. They wait for her train - so does the audience - anxiously. He brings large cartons of coffee. She leaves to go to the lavatory. He looks in her handbag. They are elements that something could have been done with, but nothing is. Nothing happens. The end approaches slowly. It's a drab experience all round - for actors and audience. Replicating the boredom of real life and its dialogue usually makes lousy theatre, certainly here.
Taking the elements already present: If the woman stayed on stage and wee-ed in the coffee cup, it could have: given the audience a pervy thrill; got the play banned; ensured that at least one member of the production followed Government health guidelines to drink 2 litres of water a day; provided a challenge to the special effects team; proved that girls can. If the man had searched the woman's handbag and found eg a pair of his old underpants it could have: suggested that she still retained a sly intimacy for him; enabled the play to be called 'Briefs Encounter'.
The situation is almost too familiar to do something original with, but if the play is to be taken further (and the one joke - a good joke - suggests that playwright Chris Bush has a frisky sense of humour), it could be stripped of every verbal cliché and non-functioning word - boiling it down to 5 minutes - and re-structured with some drama.
The play - dire as it is at present - benefits from Nicola Cross and Luke Dominy, who do their best. They are clearly committed actors and it will be interesting to see what they do next.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Nicola Cross - Her. Luke Dominy - Him.
Company Credits: Writer - Chris Bush. Director - Sophie Bush.
Technical Manager - Jamie Bale. Thanks to: Tony Meech, Gulbenkian Theatre Hull; Anna Cole; Angela Bush.
END
John Park
reviewed Friday 10 June 05 / Diorama Studio Theatre
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
