This new play by Stephen Brown is a challenging and ultimately devastating study of unlawful desire. The play centres around Peter (David Sturzaker) - an intelligent and promising young barrister who, by the unwitting touch of a button sends out an email to everyone he knows, and an attachment which exposes the dark side of his character. The consequences of his actions, catastrophic for those around him, lead Peter to forge extraordinary alliances during time spent in a prison segregation unit, and finally to the possibility of being rehabilitated to a normal life outside - if indeed such exists.

Stephen Brown treats the gravitas of the subject with brutal honesty and surprising humour. His dialogue is crisp, sharp and strives for realism. Director Guy Retallack handles the text with integrity and regard. There is little sentimentality. Guy Retallack reigns tight on the emotional outpouring - too much at times - in an attempt to keep objectivity on a subject that is both raw and prevalent today.

The design, whilst simple in execution, evokes the transparency of the human condition and the exposure of life in prison. Its objective and ultimate need seems to be to promote understanding of a difficult, complex issue.

Characters are very 'real' - from the normality of Peter's relationship with his girlfriend Jenny (Kelly Williams), to the prison inmates Tim (David Benson) and Harry (Philip Fox) - ordinary folk on one level, perceived as monsters by many on the outside. This is a cast of immeasurable talent, and to single out individual performances would be to belittle the brilliance of the ensemble - each actor exhibits a commitment, and at times a believability, that is highly praiseworthy.

However, the need of Guy Retallack to suppress the emotional reaction in favour of internalisation of character amounts to little more than screen-acting. The human condition for all its faults must celebrate the frailty and intricacy that makes these characters unique. To deny them emotional resonance is to deny the audience the right of opinion, and thereby, betray Stephen Brown's ultimate argument.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): David Benson – Tim. Stefan Butler – Mike/Patrick. Philip Fox – Harry. Sara Griffiths – Ellen. David Sturzaker – Peter. Kelly Williams – Jenny.

Company Credits: Writer - Stephen Brown. Director - Guy Retallack. Designer - Dan Potra. . Lighting Designer - Mark Truebridge. Composer - Leo Chadburn. Producers - Elkie Jeffery & Sue Scott Davison. Production Manager - Chris Corner. Assistant Director - James Bounds. Stage Manager - Julia Barnett. Graphic Designer - Reg Schleiger. Photographer - Simon Pugh. Costume Supervisor - Roshni Savjani. Production Assistant - Carla Morris. Technical Stage Manager - Phil Hewitt.

END

(c) Mike Miller 2007

reviewed June 07 / Theatre 503

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com