Buried Alive is a dark drama about child abuse. Stewart (Peter Karl Burgess) is a successful photographer who wants to keep his hidden past and identity concealed. Ammy (Somalia Seaton) is a reporter writing a piece about him who gets a bit too close. They have a one-night stand after which he rejects her. In revenge she decides to delve more into his past. Luis (Andres Ortiz) is Stewart's son from an early relationship. He hints to Ammy that Stewart's surname is not what she thinks, and that he has secrets in the past and present.

The action flicks to the past showing Stewart as a boy with his family. His sisters are Liz (Jennifer Skapeti) and Kate (Suzanne Marie); mother is Margaret (Vivienne Brown); father is Andrew (John Sears). They are on a day trip to the seaside. Andrew, who is mentally disturbed, is on a day's release from hospital. The sun is shining, and birds chirping. Liz finds an injured bird which she shows to her father. Her mother slaps the bird from her hand and kicks it under the sand; because of 'germs'. This is the kind of incident for which dragon Margaret forces the children to their knees to pray, or locks them in the cellar of their home. Margaret's mother Uncle Jack (Gareth Pilkington) is sly. He encourages Stewart to leave home, by getting him a job on a ship (which leads later to Stewart's career as a photographer). Stewart's friend Giovanni (Thomas Thoroe) starts a romantic, sexual relationship with teenage Kate. Giovanni and Kate are around the same age. Giovanni leaves the country for a year. Kate, without the protection of the presence of her brother and Giovanni, becomes susceptible to the friendship, advances and sexual abuse of her uncle Jack. This has a practical result, which leads, in conjunction with all the family circumstances, to enormous, catastrophic consequences.

In the present, Ammy begins to dig towards these secrets.

Vivienne Brown delivers Margaret as a mother who manages her family by mental and emotional manipulation, religious domination, and denial; it's an effective portrayal. Peter Karl Burgess delivers a strong performace as Stewart; switching between Stewart's present successful but tormented adulthood and his abused (by his mother) upbringing; giving each persona an exact characterisation. Suzanne Marie presents Kate effectively; catching convincingly the character of a middle child; taking seriously the protection of her younger sister Liz; while trying to free herself from her mother. Andres Ortiz's Luis comes across as authentic as a spoilt brat stretched across a cultural divide, with his own abuse to contend with. Gareth Pilkington is strong as Jack; thoroughly convincing at all levels, from the overall characterisation down to tiny details which accumulate to paint the picture. John Sears's Andrew feels a sympathetic, subtle delivery of a character who is severely disturbed. Somalia Seaton portrays the varying emotions Ammy goes through in her pursuit of a story, and her attraction to Stewart as a person. Jennifer Skapeti gives a strong performance, sensitive to the complexity of the character of the child and adult Liz. Thomas Thoroe delivers Giovanni as a balanced, even, romantic boy and man; offering a centre of normality.

Philip Osment's script is profound in its complexity of the many kinds of abuse - each character except one is abused - and the interweaving of the story's plot lines. Diana Thomas directs with consummate skill; she uses the stage space effectively to separate scences which link to different times and locations, with minimal sets. Her subtle direction of the actors is sensitive in conveying the complex variations and degrees of abuse undergone by the characters, but with striking impact.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Vivienne Brown - Margaret. Peter Karl Burgess - Stewart. Suzanne Marie - Kate. Andres Ortiz - Luis. Gareth Pilkington - Jack. John Sears - Andrew. Somalia Seaton - Ammy. Jennifer Skapeti - Liz. Thomas Thoroe - Giovanni.

Company Credits: Writer - Philip Osment. Director - Diana Thomas. Lighting Designer - uncredited. Sound Designer - uncredited. Technical Operator - uncredited. Sound Mixer - Joseph Degnan. Stage Manager - Ashleigh German. Company Stage Manager - Paul Engers. Front of House - Gloria Navarro. Refreshments - Anna Colangelo. Introducer of Rose Theatre - David Pearce. Props - Pauline & Bridget. Producer - uncredited. Company - Rose Theatre Bankside. Notes: Commissioned and first produced by Method & Madness; Copyright Agent Alan Brodie Representation Ltd; www.alanbrodie.com. Thanks to: John Welsh, Britain At War Exhibition; Lloyds Pharmacy, New Cross Gate; Scope, Peckham. Company note: part of the proceeds donated to napac.

END

(c) Claudia Nettleford 2010

reviewed Wednesday 18 August 2010 / Rose Theatre, Bankside, London UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com