Set over several months and concerning characters who have already lived gory lives, much of the play’s first half feels like a recap from a television series. After this exposition, however, the play moves into the plot proper, and the actors begin to imbue life into their characters. Dadd and Coleman stand out as the most entertaining; the former a deranged artist under the control of an imagined Ariel, the latter an asylum guard tasked with distracting the patients. The roughness of the writing is highlighted by occasional anachronisms, in which a reference to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is particularly noticeable. Yet the strong performances of the cast manages to distract from the play’s weak script.
C, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27 Aug, times vary, £8.50 – £10.50, fpp277.
tw rating 3/5
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Sections: by Julian Benson - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 3/5 | Tags: Chrysalis Theatre
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