James Bounds' production of The Zoo Story opens to the sound of various unidentifiable animals, and a visual extravaganza of nothing more than a vague city skyline washed with slowly changing lighting for what seemed much too long; some might say it continues in much the same vein for the next 52 minutes… Edward Albee's extraordinary story of 2 men's conversation one sunny afternoon in Central Park, New York is a tight, pacy script that provides a wealth of opportunity for 2 actors to fill an audience with laughter, fear and horror. With the exception of a handful of moments on the first night, that just didn't happen.

Peter (Jason Wool) is a publishing executive, pipe smoker, family man and Sunday afternoon reader whose quiet literary explorations are disturbed one day by the arrival of Jerry (Spencer Wong): 'permanent transient', rooming house dweller, minutiae observer and canine anthropologist. Jerry's tales of his room, his landlady, her dog, his relations with his family and 'the little ladies' cannot fail to engage, and Wong does a passable job of communicating Jerry's pent up frustration & fascinations. He has a strong voice, and it is a shame that we rarely get to hear it properly - regrettable that many of the most moving passages are shouted unintelligibly and Albee's delightful throw-away witticisms are all just thrown away. Wool plays the unremarkable Peter unremarkably, but fails to make the transition from slightly irritated reader to territorial animal convincing. Both actors fail to wholly connect with the text - miscomprehensions and mispronunciations leave an audience confused as to the motives and messages of this powerful play - whatever Bounds sought to communicate as director was beyond me.

Costume is unimaginative, and fails to place the action in any particular place or time - it is western, but neither contemporary nor contemporaneous with the script. The accents used by the 2 actors do not place us anywhere near New York, and their vagueness is a reflection of a general lack of precision, both of interpretation and performance. This is a terrific script, and laughs were raised by the enthusiasm of the actors in performance. If you're a fan of Albee, this is unlikely to please you; if you've never heard of him before, it's well worth a cautious look.

James Dare, 20.05.03