It's probably true to say that We Go Wandering at Night is not a great play - there are simply too many lumps in the texture of the script - but it is a very entertaining one, with a couple of very good performances, some slick sound work and a lot of funny moments.

The title comes from the translation of an old Latin palindrome and has a bit of a religious overtone - 'We go wandering at night and are consumed by fire'. No-one in the play goes wandering anywhere. Instead, bored Adam sits in a waiting room, listening to on-hold music. He is occasionally questioned by a voice from somewhere. Neither the Adam nor the voice seem to know why he's there. Adam, prompted by the voice, relives some of the events of his life – problems at school, a trip to the clubs of Cornwall – revealing some psychological scars. All this is very entertaining, if at times slightly juvenile. Gradually, it emerges that the voice is God.

Only one other character emerges, and only when Adam has been waiting 'for ages'. Mr Deus is a highly witty and slick American lawyer (played very believably by the play's writer Paul Ham) who has the task of bringing Adam to accept something beyond himself. Brendan Murphy is energetic and occasionally charming as Adam. He's best as the typical bored youth - particularly in his sub-John-Wayne war fantasy. As a whole We Go Wandering at Night has some laugh-out-loud moments, and is in a strong tradition of save-my-soul dramas which - at its best - it refreshes. There are a lot of bright pieces, but the whole is more like a firework display than a finished picture.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Daniel Doidge - The Voice. Paul Ham - Mr Deus. Brendan Murphy - Adam.

Company Credits: Writer - Paul Ham. Director - uncredited. Lighting Designer - Paul Ham & Daniel Doidge. Sound Designer - Paul Ham & Daniel Doidge. Technical Operator - uncredited. Producer - uncredited. Company - Define Choice.

END

(c) Michael Spring 2009

reviewed August 2009 / The Cock Tavern, Kilburn, London UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com