Tag Archives: Jonathan Keane

Delicacy

Delicacy
★★★½

The Space

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Delicacy

Delicacy

The Space

Reviewed – 8th May 2019

★★★½

 

“possesses a plethora of great elements, and displays great promise”

 

Delicacy is part of The Space’s Foreword Festival, an annual event dedicated to honing and producing the work of emerging writers – not that this is evident in Mark Jones’ play, as his script carries all the hallmarks of someone who is already a master of their craft.

Delicacy follows a family’s farcical descent into madness as they’re embroiled in the misdeeds of a cannibal. Jodie and Duncan Gibson (Sarah Tortell and Colin Adrian respectively) had unknowingly eaten a cottage pie containing human flesh served up by their neighbour, who turned out to be a serial killer who eats his victims. The ensuing media storm frames the Gibsons and their daughter Amber (Stephanie Dickson) as villains, and their attempts to quell their antagonisation only serves to exacerbate it. The script takes jabs at the bizarre lack of laws surrounding cannibalism, as well as how the media (ranging from journalists to Instagram) callously exploit and weaponise the distress of others to great effect.

The slope that the family slides down is charted excellently by Jones, toeing the line between darkness and comedy expertly; the desperate actions of the characters frequently provide hilarity for the audience, while there are also a number of cracking one-liners throughout. Sammy Glover’s direction, too, keeps the pace and tension steadily increasing, and having the audience sit on all sides elevates the sense that the characters are trapped. Considering the audience configuration, it’s also hugely impressive that there were no moments where the actors blocked each other’s visibility, which is a testament to Glover’s staging and minimalistic set design that allowed for the maximum level of movement.

Tortell and Adrian both give excellent performances as Jodie and Duncan – they’re consistently believable even when carrying out psychopathic actions, and work as emotional anchors to keep the story grounded, while also keenly delivering the comedy. Dickson, however, does not manage to achieve this too – her portrayal of Amber feels one-dimensional, and occasionally lacks a sense of motivation underpinning her actions. She also seems strangely unaffected by the events surrounding the family, which does not allow her journey through the play to feel like it develops organically, and consequently the resolution does not land as gracefully as it could have.

Despite this shortcoming though, the show still possesses a plethora of great elements, and displays great promise for the future of Mark Jones. Consistently dark and frequently disturbing, Delicacy is – by and large – delectable.

 

Reviewed by Tom Francis

 


Delicacy

The Space until 11th May

 

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:
Post Mortem | ★★★★ | April 2019
Rush | ★★★½ | August 2018
The Conductor | ★★★★ | March 2019
The Dip | ★★★★ | February 2019
The Full Bronte | ★★★ | October 2018
The Sleeper | ★★★ | April 2018
The South Afreakins | ★★★★★ | February 2019
The Wasp | ★★★★ | April 2019
We Know Now Snowmen Exist | ★★★ | March 2019
Woman of the Year | ★★★ | October 2018

 

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Bluebird – 4 Stars

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Bluebird

Bluebird

The Space

Reviewed – 25th July 2018

★★★★

“viscerally funny, and celebratory too; a love affair with language, with London, and with the messiness of being human”

 

There couldn’t be a more apt time for The Space to stage Simon Stephens’ 2012 play, Bluebird – the action of which takes place over the course of a sweltering summer night in London. The stifling heat at the moment, together with the proximity of the actors in The Space’s intimate playing area, made us feel, as audience members, that we were truly sharing the night with the characters, in a way that only added to the emotional intensity of the evening.

The play revolves around Jimmy, a Mancunian writer turned cab driver. Simon Stephens sees that the cab driver takes on the role of confessor in the secular world of contemporary Britain, and as Jimmy criss-crosses London in his Nissan Bluebird, his fares divulge the secrets of their lives, and, each in their own way, struggle to make sense of the business of living. ‘Do you have any idea what it means – at all?’ asks fare number two, a genial joker with a beer in his hand; a question that resonates throughout, and is at its most unbearably poignant in relation to the central tragedy of Jimmy’s own life.

Although the play deals with irreparable loss, grief, and the immense and powerful everyday drama of the relationship between parent and child – recurrent Stephens themes all – it is also viscerally funny, and celebratory too; a love affair with language, with London, and with the messiness of being human.

The Space’s production – directed by Adam Hemming with a sure hand and a light touch – rightly keeps the language centre stage, and maximises the strengths of an immensely able cast, in order to create a powerful, funny and genuinely moving evening. A few of the transition sequences were a little clumsy, and a couple of performances required greater vocal control – with writing this good, you really don’t want to miss a word! – but these were tiny niggles in the face of some exceptionally good acting. Terrific, tight, well-observed and connected work from Jonathan Keane as Jimmy, Mike Duran as Robert and Adam Scott-Pringle as Richard, as well as a wonderfully warm and true performance from Felicity Walsh as Angela. Special mention must go, however, to Anna Doolan, for her heartbreaking portrayal of Jimmy’s wife Clare. It was an exceptional performance, and this reviewer wasn’t the only audience member to find herself in need of a hanky.

 

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography courtesy Space Productions

 


Bluebird

The Space until 4th August

 

 

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