NOOK

Riverside Studios

★★

“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.

NOOK

Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 23rd August 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Reya Muller

Recent reviews from this venue:

A MANCHESTER ANTHEM | ★★★★ | August 2025

HAPPY ENDING | ★★★★ | July 2025

DEAR ANNIE, I HATE YOU | ★★★★ | May 2025

THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK | ★★★★★ | May 2025

SISYPHEAN QUICK FIX  | ★★★ | March 2025

SECOND BEST | ★★★★ | February 2025

NOOK

★★★

“an interesting and very watchable production”

Absorbing the styles and visions of modern American playwrights and screen writers, Cameron Corcoran conjures up a contained, remote world in ‘Lone Star Diner’, illustrating the shattered American Dream from different angles and with emphasis on what he considers the overlooked perspective of women. The plot is neatly constructed, twisting through the dialogue to reveal the reasons behind the characters’ behaviour, relationships and decisions. The overall effect, however, is not so much a feminist standpoint in a misogynistic world, as an impression of hardship, helplessness and acrimony in the USA, in which Corcoran is influenced by TV series and films. The personalities in the play are clearly drawn from these. However, in recreating rather than growing into their own roles, they can only go skin deep and are consequently hindered from interacting with complete conviction.

Director, Mike Cottrell, works hard to build up the tension from slow, low-key suspense to the unexpected burst of the outcome, though the balance before and after the interval is like a team getting a talking-to at half time and pulling their socks up. In the end, Billie Hamer, as June, gives a strong performance, showing desperate frustration from a past of trauma and disappointment, but at the beginning she needs the jaded fragility of her suffering to be apparent and make sense of her actions. Seamus Dillane struggles with his American accent, somewhat undermining the ruthless confidence of Cyrus. His opening scene with June is sometimes too hurried and clumsy for someone who is emotionally detached; instead of the calculated persuasion of his vulnerable victim which should arouse our suspicions and empathy, it comes across as a heated discussion. As the exploitative employee Larry, Adrian Walker-Reilly goes for the sinister undertones and expressive eyebrows of Jack Nicholson. Unfortunately, he never quite achieves the malevolence and, though tied to an underpaid job, it is hard to understand June’s true fear of him. Jack Sunderland brings relief as Billy Lee, the lawman. Verging on over-mannered at first, he offers some captivating moments as he uncovers the complexity and confusion of his feelings and sense of personal debt and duty.

The black and white floor tiles and metal furniture of the set (Natasha Shirley) immediately set the scene, with the encroaching sand of the surrounding desert reminding us of the diner’s isolation. Daniel Maxted’s lighting design creates dramatic and atmospheric qualities throughout the show and which intensify the cinematic approach. As a reflection on the fraud, greed and inhumanity that has resulted from the American Dream’s ethos of freedom to attain prosperity and success, ‘Lone Star Diner’ is an interesting and very watchable production. Yet the focus on female liberation becomes overshadowed by the many peripheral ideas, from an outsider’s eyes, wound into the story to enhance the cultural image. The poignancy of modern American theatre comes from the fact that American playwrights are simply writing about life.

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

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

Omnibus Theatre

Reviewed – 5th September 2019

★★★

“an interesting and very watchable production”

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

Lone Star Diner

Omnibus Theatre until 7th September

Previously reviewed at this venue:

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