Review
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Love and Understanding The Burton Taylor Theatre is arguably the most intimate theatre space in Oxford. The cast and crew of ‘Love and Understanding’ exploit this quality, inventively exacerbate it, and stage an enthralling performance. L&U depicts the relationship between two people, Neal and Rachel, following the sudden reappearance of Richie, Neal’s longtime friend, from South America. Richie embodies everything that you should find annoying. He lies, doesn’t care about anyone, deliberately abuses dangerous drugs, and - as we’re told in the opening scene - hit his girlfriend. Neal and Rachel, alternatively, are doctors at the local hospital, live together (and share a mortgage!), and are generally Good People Whom You Want To Know. Beneath their happy facade, however, lurks discontent. Neal works 100-hour weeks; Rachel is never home. Neal obsesses about every little worry; Rachel doesn’t know how to respond. Their home is decorated with pictures of the happy couple; their home is littered with post-it notes from one to the other. The result is fertile territory for impulse, recklessness, and regret. Yet L&U focuses less on these traits and more on how the characters cope with their actions. Loyalty is the key theme - to friends, to lovers, to expectations, and to ideals - and the story shows how we all must manage and balance these competing demands. Intriguing plot aside, this play is worth seeing for the acting alone. Max Baines (Neal) solidly portrays the young doctor torn between his professional and personal life. Lizi Murray (Rachel) reveals the inner turmoil between what her character should feel and does feel. Particularly captivating is Dicky Chalmers (Richie), who gives an outstanding performance of a devious, confused anti-hero that is wholly credible. Finally, a nod must be given to the technical aspects of the play: lighting and sound ensure dynamism and foster a sense of intimacy between cast and audience, and the seating plan is structured to enhance the ‘fishbowl’ atmosphere and to compel us to follow the actors’ interaction. Alas, intimacy comes with a price: limited availability. If the play is as successful as it should be — it’s also been entered for the Sunday Times Student Drama Festival (April 2000) — you might have difficulty finding a place. But if you’re fortunate enough to get tickets, prepare to be amused and intrigued, both by the characters’ struggles and, on reflection, your own. Robin Rix |