★★

“The play scratches the surface of too many things, and is ultimately frustrating in its lack of resolution or revelation.”

Cameron Corcoran’s play, “Nook”, opens with an emotive monologue. A very loose paraphrase of the ‘Three Little Pigs’ fable, although there are now four of them and the littlest seems to be in as much danger from the other pigs as from the big bad wolf. We are not supposed to know yet who the teller of the tale is, but they are clearly a damaged soul, and we look forward to the ensuing narrative during which, we hope, the deliberately ambiguous prologue will become clear.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Not really. The setting is the family home in which four estranged, adopted siblings congregate following the funeral of their mother. Not for any sort of wake or show of respect, however, but to read the will (but let’s ignore the dubiously erroneous timing of this ritual for now). None of them have much affection for the deceased matriarch, and even less affection for each other. The stage is set for tensions to surface and past traumas to knock on the door threatening to ‘blow the house down’.

First up is Kenny (Daragh Cushen), the eldest son who believes he has escaped his working-class background by marrying Sarah (Zannie Benfield), the queen of snobbish put-downs. Younger brother Tom (played by Corcoran himself) is hot on his brother’s heels with fiancé Maya (Lucy Allen) even hotter on his. Not so fast moving is the socially awkward Phillip (Jack Sunderland). He still lives in the family home, so he hasn’t had as far to come, although he arrives with plenty of emotional baggage and unwarranted apologies. Last but not least is black sheep of the family, Beth (Lara Deering). A sheep in wolf’s clothing? She’s certainly no sacrificial lamb as she holds her own against the ensuing acerbic squabbles.

The dialogue is quite enigmatic. Not just difficult to interpret, but hard to follow and near impossible to swallow. Anguished mini-monologues spring from nowhere while non-sequiturs lead nowhere else. There is little logical flow to the narrative which capsizes any potential tension before it can even cast off.

The piece addresses a hotch-potch of issues: class divide, adoption, sexual and emotional, abuse, false memory, domestic violence and incest are a few of them. But the storms whipped up from the past blow in too many directions. Occasionally even the cast seem a little unsure of the material and too often Pinteresque pauses come across as fumbled lines. The performances are solid, nevertheless, even if the characterisation isn’t always convincing. Except for Deering’s Beth – who drops a delicious bombshell late into the action – actions and reactions don’t ring true and the cyclical verbal fights have been written with inadequate care or connection. Which is a shame as the premise has the potential for intrigue, if only the atmosphere of the opening passage could be maintained.

Moments of humour help drive the action. Kenny’s contemptuous wife, Sarah, has some of the best lines which Benfield delivers with cool exasperation. Her growing incredulity as secrets are revealed is a joy to watch. Pivotal moments, though, are glossed over, and the secrets and traumas shared lose their impact. It is like we are denied access. Reya Muller’s direction mirrors this distancing with some awkward but perversely effective staging, often placing the actors apart as though sections of the space are cordoned off, like some unapproachably dark memory.

It’s all a bit of a mystery. We learn the contents of the mother’s will, but we never understand what led to her decisions. The play scratches the surface of too many things, and is ultimately frustrating in its lack of resolution or revelation. At just an hour long, “Nook” still has the feel of a scratch performance, despite an initial run at the Union Theatre last year. Hopefully, in time, it will dig deeper and gain focus, once it finds its niche.

HAPPY ENDING

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“Corcoran’s writing is slick, biting and devilishly funny in equal measure”

Everyone deserves happiness, right? Cameron Corcoran seems to think so in his play, ‘Happy Ending’ – though it’s not necessarily the ending you expect.

This pithy, first-person, one-woman play dives straight into the life of ‘Ariel’, a no-holds barred sex worker who grabs our attention as tightly as she might one of her clients (!). She candidly reflects on her life and the choices that got her here with disarming frankness and humour. As the play progresses, cracks appear in her outwardly perky demeanour, until a pivotal decision snaps her blurry world into focus and forces her to confront a reality she would rather suppress.

Produced by Off Main Stage company as part of Bitesize Festival, ‘Happy Ending’ is a sharp and absorbing take on serious themes including sex work, psychological defence mechanisms and the slipperiness of reality. But it’s far from gloomy – Corcoran’s writing is slick, biting and devilishly funny in equal measure, punctuated by well-timed, incisive and rather racy jokes. The prose cleverly reveals and conceals. The entire show is in first person with Ariel confiding in the audience as if to a close friend. It’s never made clear who we are or why we are in her confidence, but that’s the point: we only exist as far as Ariel requires us to, trapped in her warped reality as much as she is.

There are a couple of writing elements which work less well. The ending, though impactful in its brevity, feels a tad abrupt since the emotional build up is much meatier than the resolution. Secondly, I want to dig deeper into Ariel’s motivations and history, but she never lets us in that far. Finally, Ariel bears the full burden of responsibility for the perceived negative impact she has on her male clients’ lives without exploring any male accountability, which I find frustrating.

That said, the direction by Anastasia Bunce and assistant director Isabelle Tyner is fantastic. Ariel addresses the audience directly with lots of sustained eye contact which I couldn’t help but meet. The chumminess of her delivery contrasts deliciously with the fantastical illusion she creates. The lack of fourth wall is ironic as Ariel believes she IS a wall of sorts (go see it, you’ll get what I mean). Pacing is used to great effect, racing through the more outlandish opening section as if in a rush to build her world, before pulling back and sinking into more vulnerable moments.

Helena Harrison sparkles as Ariel. She flits from witty to brazen to charming without batting an eyelid, landing her jokes with excellent comic timing and satisfying grit. The opening section is so slick, not a single moment is lost despite the rapid pace. Harrison knows exactly when to draw us in with a subtle pause here, a slight frown there to show the mask slipping, and builds tension and pain throughout the emotional climax. She perhaps could have brought a touch more light and shade to the emotional revelation scene for even more impact, but overall Harrison should be commended on a fantastic performance.

The staging is simple and symbolic: a bed and a chair represent fantasy and reality respectively. Flick Isaac Chilton’s sound design skilfully fills any visual gap, locating us immediately with vivid audio moments. The array of sound effects is impressively deployed, adding an almost dreamlike quality. There is symbolism in Hannah Clancy’s lighting design too, transitioning from bright, almost gaudy pinks, to nightclub strobe, to more sombre cool tones as the piece progresses. The costumes add a further layer of depth. Ironically the more authentically we see Ariel, the more ‘covered up’ she is, further blurring our perception of her.

Charming yet clandestine, raw yet regulated, ‘Happy Ending’ is a powerful piece of theatre in the hands of a highly skilled team. Despite my plot reservations, it’s a fascinating, absorbing and funny watch. I highly recommend getting to know Ariel – though you may leave with more questions than you started.

NOOK

Riverside Studios

★★

“The play scratches the surface of too many things, and is ultimately frustrating in its lack of resolution or revelation.”

NOOK

Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 23rd August 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Reya Muller

Recent reviews from this venue:

NOOK

NOOK

NOOK

HAPPY ENDING

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“Corcoran’s writing is slick, biting and devilishly funny in equal measure”

HAPPY ENDING

Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 11th July 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Anastasia Bunce

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

HAPPY ENDING

HAPPY ENDING

HAPPY ENDING

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