Tag Archives: Alex Walton

DIAGNOSIS

★★★½

Finborough Theatre

DIAGNOSIS

Finborough Theatre

★★★½

“an original and interesting show led by two excellent performances”

The 16th of May 2035. 3:37am. A woman has been arrested and brought in for questioning regarding an assault on a man in a bar on Villiers Street in central London, but it is very quickly apparent that this is not a normal interview. Firstly, she does not deny the assault. However, what makes the interview more unusual is that the woman is disabled and is consistently referred to as a ‘vulnerable adult’. Diagnosis is an exploration of the treatment and of societal attitudes towards people with disabilities and the bureaucracy, which should protect them actually harming them.

The woman (Athena Stevens) under question remains nameless throughout the show and is even referred to as ‘S/he’ in the show’s programme. Evidently deliberate, this provides one of the key messages of the show – how society ‘others’ people with disabilities and their stories meaning that they are often left unheard, and their talents left unutilised. Here, she has an unusual gift, claiming that she can see people’s ‘sell-by’ dates and what tragedy will befall them. But he won’t listen.

This undertone is reinforced throughout as our officer (Ché Walker) takes light relief in the messages received from a colleague who is detailing watching foxes from his early morning watch post. He also talks very dismissively of her, stating that she is: “Physically impaired, mental capacity undetermined.”

The other key message of the piece is regarding the dangers of overly bureaucratic procedures and processes. The checks and balances that should protect vulnerable people can really just serve to protect the established order. We see this in a specific scenario. Public Oversight Code 22 (PO-22) is a common feature, an article providing a façade of protecting rights in interactions with ‘vulnerable individuals’ when it is really providing cover for inaction and delays. She thinks it means that she will be heard, whereas he knows it means he won’t have to listen. He says to a colleague: “We just need to log the assault before we can let her go.”

The two main actors are also the writer (Stevens) and director (Walker) of the show, quite fitting that they are the ones to bring their work to life. These elements are carefully woven into the plot and dialogue of the characters, with excellent timing. One can enjoy the irony of the officer verbally detailing the reason for the additional procedural features of this interview while simultaneously showing his impatience with them. The scene is cleverly designed (Juliette Demoulin), with the interview both in front of us and projected onto a screen behind. Slate-coloured walls flank the performance, a familiar sight from any crime drama.

At times, the plot asks quite too much of the audience, straying too far into fantasy. This damages the seriousness and importance of the moral of this story, which do get lost when the storyline flirts with science-fiction. The plot needs a bit more substance to get to its punchline without these ‘jumps’, which do seem to interrupt the flow. Nonetheless, it remains an original and interesting show led by two excellent performances.



DIAGNOSIS

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed on 15th May 2025

by Luke Goscomb

Photography by Alex Walton

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

THE INSEPERABLES | ★★★ | April 2025
THE PASSENGER | ★★★★ | February 2025
KAFKA | ★★ | June 2024
THE TAILOR OF INVERNESS | ★★★ | May 2024
BANGING DENMARK | ★★★ | April 2024
FOAM | ★★★★ | April 2024
JAB | ★★★★ | February 2024
THE WIND AND THE RAIN | ★★★ | July 2023
SALT-WATER MOON | ★★★★ | January 2023
PENNYROYAL | ★★★★ | July 2022

 

 

DIAGNOSIS

DIAGNOSIS

DIAGNOSIS

THE BOX

★★★

White Bear Theatre

THE BOX at the White Bear Theatre

★★★

“a good watchable show, with some interesting themes to explore”

Brian Coyle’s ‘The Box’ follows Tom (Martin Edwards) and Kate (Sarah Lawrie), a couple with a mysterious box in their lounge. How are the box and the pair connected? That’s one of the occasional mysteries to discover in the play. In the beginning, it’s unknown who they are to each other; they role play, each making up new back stories – which the other tends not to approve of. Slowly the nature of them being a couple is revealed. It becomes clear they’ve both shared a trauma which neither is comfortable being truthful about. The resolution to their cycle of lies is what follows.

From the start I sensed the actors were holding back. There’s several movement heavy moments that dictated transitions, in which I felt they were holding a lot of tension and could’ve given a lot more. Perhaps this came from nerves or not feeling free enough to push further and take more risks. What’s interesting about this is that the play opened with Tom and Kate role playing – and when they did, their characters felt so much more open and free. Perhaps this was a choice to show how they’ve become so uncomfortable with each other that they need another identity to relax. If this was Jonathan Woolf’s direction, however, I do not think it carried through and instead came off as stiff. Both actors, however, had beautiful moments of comedy which did succeed in charming the audience.

The sound (Simon Beyer) consisted of piano accompaniment in transitions and places where the dramatic intention of the scenes changed. This grated on me as it felt like the music was trying to prescribe what I was supposed to be feeling. Especially when there was no dialogue. Instead of silence that the actors could’ve used to create an atmosphere, we were told that there was a certain atmosphere. This was a shame as it took away from the couple’s uncomfortable pauses. In one scene towards the end, however, silence was allowed when the two reluctantly spoke of their love for each other. Here the beats were perfect and believable.

The set is minimal but detailed: the box taking centre stage, a shelf with a wine bottle and several glasses, a chair, a clothing rail with six dresses – all the same, in three different colours. I inferred this as trying to imply a potential mental health disorder – particularly given the dresses – which read well, and was subtle enough as to not be stereotypical. If this was the case, however, I wish that could have been explored more throughout. The costume included many bright and warm colours, contrasting the play’s heavy themes – as if it were part of the couple trying to pretend everything is ‘normal’ and masking their dark sides. Again, I appreciated the subtlety of this suggestion.

The content was interesting enough and did keep me wanting to know more about what’s really going on with the characters. Yet, I feel it’s a story and relationship dynamic I’ve seen many times before. Again, without giving too much away, I watch a lot of Detective TV shows and the main families, parents and couples all share this same struggle where one party doesn’t truly know the other since a shared trauma, and as a result they’re broken. Except here there is no mystery to unfold in action, it’s just the audience trying to guess what on Earth is up with the box.

Overall, a good watchable show, with some interesting themes to explore, but it did leave me unsatisfied and yearning for ten times more.

 


THE BOX at the White Bear Theatre

Reviewed on 24th July 2024

by David Robinson

Photography by Alex Walton

 


 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

JUST STOP EXTINCTION REBELLION | ★★★ | February 2024
I FOUND MY HORN | ★★★★ | February 2023
THE MIDNIGHT SNACK | ★★★ | December 2022
THE SILENT WOMAN | ★★★★ | April 2022
US | ★★★★ | February 2022
MARLOWE’S FATE | ★★★ | November 2021

THE BOX

THE BOX

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