“Excellent acting delivered with a real intensity”
House of America written by Ed Thomas was first staged in Cardiff in 1988 and transferred to film in 1996. It now opens for a short run at the Jack Studio Theatre.
The Lewis family have been abandoned at a young age by their father who left to to follow his dreams of a new life in California. Living deep in the Welsh valleys, the three siblings struggle with the harsh reality of life in an environment where jobs are scarce and hopes and dreams are out of reach.
Clinging on to the distant chance of reconnecting with their father, they deal with the intricacies of their relationships and the fight to keep their unhinged mother under control. As the story unfolds and the closure of the local mine becomes imminent we see their lives begin to spiral out of control as they sink deeper into desperation.
Although the occasional lighthearted moment invites a wry smile from the audience this is a dark play with intense moments of despair.
The acting, particularly from Robert Durbin (Boyo) and Evelyn Campbell (Gwenny) is excellent and delivered with a real intensity. The lighting (Jamie Platt) adds to the sense of despair and the portrayal of grimness of life in that Welsh valley. It is also used to great effect to section the stage and provide focus for different scenes.
Although the play highlights the difficulties of living through such hard times it never fully explains the situation of the characters and as the play unfolds you are left with more questions than answers. Why did the father leave? Why did they not question mam further? Where did the incestuous relationship come from? Why did mam confide in Boyo and not Gwenny? What was the point of the labourer character?
The first half was enjoyable to watch but the second half made for uncomfortable viewing at times with story lines which didn’t seem so believable as those in the first.
An interesting play but I feel that the plot needs further development and explanation to make it feel complete.
“Attic is an emotional tennis match, a back and forth between a deep love and an intense loathing”
No one can deny that human relationships can be complex, often unconventional and sometimes dangerous. This work, written by Meriel Hinsching, explores the fractious and fragile way in which two people can’t be with or without each other.
From the very first scene, it is apparent that our characters share a lot of history as they each perform their soliloquy full of longing and reminiscence. However, only fragments of information are relayed to the audience – why did their relationship fall apart? What brought them back together again? Can they make this work somehow?
Ed Theakston (award winning director, Best Play award for Bit of Sunshine, LOST Theatre Festival 2016 & Theatre503) has created such a tense atmosphere, which leaves us on the edge of our seats, and yet there are still moments of humour, which break through in the most refreshing way. Sharing a sneaky bottle of whiskey, tripping over their jeans in an attempt to get out of them, acting like a couple of teenagers, reliving carefree days.
These moments are suddenly juxtaposed with erratic episodes, often triggered by Leonie (played by Phoebe Stapleton) who is seemingly unable to stay within the confines of happiness and begins to question everything all over again.
Hinsching wants the audience to ponder over this because haven’t we all been there at one time or another? Floating along in a bubble of happiness but so afraid that the whole thing may come crashing down, so we retreat back into our safety net?
Attic is an emotional tennis match, a back and forth between a deep love and an intense loathing. The real darkness to the play is the connotations of the concept of death, from Leonie threatening to fall from the open window, to her screaming at Bay (Connor Harris) to make her feel ‘more alive’ – are they so tormented by their individual lives? Is the idea of a life together absolute heaven or sheer hell?
In Attic, this changes from one moment to the next.
Reviewed by Stephanie Legg
Attic
is at the King’s Head Theatre for a further two performances on 2nd and 3rd July
