Review


Bash by Neil Labute
Burton-Taylor Theatre,

'Bash' is a evening of three half-hour plays with thematic and stylistic
links. All take the form of monologues, the first and third are simply one
person talking to an unseen listener, the second has no particular setting
and consists of a couple's interlinked but separate recollections. All three
share an informal, conversational style, but with a gradually darkening,
confessional tone spiked with occasional humour.

The first piece is delivered by a distressed businessman with a dark secret,
played by Sam Trounce. The second is a tale of innocence lost told by a
couple, Hannah Murray and J. Van Tulleken. The staging here is particularly
effective, as they interact physically but their stories diverge, and a
sense of repressed menace gradually builds. The third is a statement from a
woman (Cat Ward, in the night's strongest performance) about the man who
used to teach her, and her ambiguous feelings towards him.

The three demonstrated similar strengths and weaknesses. The acting was
universally excellent, if rather too prone to histrionic shouting at times.
The use of effects occasionally highlighted this problem. The
lighting was used effectively in the second piece, fitting the changing
scenes and more dream-like, placeless feel rather well. The other two
monologues used light to signify changes not of setting but of mood or
emotional intensity. However, with these transitions being more than
adequately conveyed by script and actor, this heavy-handed underscoring
served only to detract from the performances. The sound, too, was of mixed
value, subtly haunting in the final piece, somewhat arbitrary and
distracting in the first.

The scripts and acting were more than enough to brush these complaints
aside, however, and the result was an unsettling, thought-provoking
production showcasing real talent.

Alex Williams 22/01/02