July 15, 2010
Neville and his three business colleagues, all middle-aged, middle-class, Manchester men, who all work for Pennine Spring Water, are on a bonding weekend for their company, getting a boat across a lake near Keswick. But Neville’s steering gets them shipwrecked on a small island, where they are marooned for the next 36 hours, and where we find out that their outer selves that they present to the world are very different to the real people within. Relationships and status change, and I could say a lot more, but I want you to go and see it, because it is a touching play, with moments that are universally recognisable.
This is a warm, human play with a simple story but a lot of complicated technical challenges, not least the set itself, which this company has taken on and overcome superbly. The one area that hadn’t been fully conquered was the actors and their lines, and this was a pity, because the story relies upon quick-fire dialogue and a healthy pace, both of which were lost regularly. This didn’t stop me from enjoying the play immensely, but made me wonder how much better it might be on subsequent nights.
Sometimes the writing is a little clunky, or the actors were paraphrasing poorly. Nevertheless, why would Angus, who lives “two minutes from Sainsbury’s”, spend £290 on a knife? Because the writer needs to get a machete on stage somehow for later in the story. But lots of loose ends are neatly tied up as we move towards the rescue of the poor, out-of-their-comfort-zone friends.
The set is super, the attention to detail for props and costumes is perfect, the lighting is excellent and evocative, and the direction, by John Bennett, brings out the best in the four, well-cast actors, who all have great energy and good focus, though they don’t always listen to each other as closely as they ought. A sense of growing crisis in Act Two, and a feeling of elation and relief when a plane is spotted, were both missing, and often the key moments in scenes are lost. But I was always eager to find out what would happen next, and I was never disappointed.
It’s a good choice of a fine play that has been brought to the stage by the hard work of a lot of people, and it has all of the highest production standards that I have come to expect from this friendly group. But I think I may sneak back to see it again on Saturday, because last night I felt it wasn’t quite ready.
This is a warm, human play with a simple story but a lot of complicated technical challenges, not least the set itself, which this company has taken on and overcome superbly. The one area that hadn’t been fully conquered was the actors and their lines, and this was a pity, because the story relies upon quick-fire dialogue and a healthy pace, both of which were lost regularly. This didn’t stop me from enjoying the play immensely, but made me wonder how much better it might be on subsequent nights.
Sometimes the writing is a little clunky, or the actors were paraphrasing poorly. Nevertheless, why would Angus, who lives “two minutes from Sainsbury’s”, spend £290 on a knife? Because the writer needs to get a machete on stage somehow for later in the story. But lots of loose ends are neatly tied up as we move towards the rescue of the poor, out-of-their-comfort-zone friends.
The set is super, the attention to detail for props and costumes is perfect, the lighting is excellent and evocative, and the direction, by John Bennett, brings out the best in the four, well-cast actors, who all have great energy and good focus, though they don’t always listen to each other as closely as they ought. A sense of growing crisis in Act Two, and a feeling of elation and relief when a plane is spotted, were both missing, and often the key moments in scenes are lost. But I was always eager to find out what would happen next, and I was never disappointed.
It’s a good choice of a fine play that has been brought to the stage by the hard work of a lot of people, and it has all of the highest production standards that I have come to expect from this friendly group. But I think I may sneak back to see it again on Saturday, because last night I felt it wasn’t quite ready.