It is difficult to know what to make of Graceland. Its static reflectiveness makes it vaguely reminiscent of Pinter, but minus the intensity and plus lots of wit. The play is part of the Oxford University New Writing Festival, and whilst it definitely has the potential to be a successful play, that potential doesn’t appear to have been fully realised. The action takes place in a factory canteen South Wales, where we are offered a glimpse into the lives of a group of workers as they indulge in the brief breaks which punctuate their tedious day’s work. We are presented with a good mixture of character types, but, unfortunately, never properly introduced to any of them, which makes the play seem disappointingly inconsequential.

The author’s desired tone of contemplative monotony was well captured in Nanw Rowland’s production, but there appeared to be very little behind the façade; the long pregnant silences weren’t all that pregnant, and this, combined with a lack of expressed insight into the characters’ minds, made the characterisation rather empty. When I go to the theatre, I expect drama – albeit tacit drama, bubbling away under the surface – but this play had very little. The dramatic potential was there, but remained insufficiently explored. I was rather disappointed when the play came to an abrupt end, before it had properly developed, and was keen to be offered a proper chance to discover more about the multitude of characters who never really had the chance to open up.

There were clever directorial touches, such as the spotlight on the clock between each scene to underline the dragging presence of time; however this did also serve as a reminder that the real clock was ticking away and we were running out of time for some powerful drama to leap out and engage my emotions. The space was well-considered and the director had produced a pleasing sense of balance. The acting was very competent, and was only detracted from by the evident challenge of performing in the Welsh dialect in which the play is written. Although certain members of the cast had a pretty firm grip on the accent, many of them seemed uncomfortable as they spoke, and this produced an air of insincerity in certain cases and incomprehensibility in others, which was a tad frustrating. I found myself forced to concentrate with all my might, for fear of missing out on any quality punch lines, since from a comedic point of view the play is extremely successful. Although the author’s rather anecdotal style may lack depth, this does not prevent it from provoking amusement; there were plenty of beautifully tight one-liners and some sublime and well-directed moments of situational comedy. It’s just a shame the characterisation wasn’t as probing.

I’d recommend Graceland out of intrigue, if nothing else. Go along and settle your curiosity – you’ll have a good laugh while you’re at it and join in with the New Writing Festival spirit!

Holly Dickens, 22.02.05