“There was a crash…”
The stock market crash of 2008 affected us all; banks collapsed, economies were paralysed and governments stood in turmoil; whole countries were on the edge of financial disaster. On an individual level money problems can break-up families and ruin relationships. Many who lost their jobs during the crises might look for someone to blame and the unnamed, sole character in this play, a stocks and shares dealer, would be near the top of the list.
Actor Jamie Michie gives a measured, polished performance as this enigmatic trader attempting to rebuild his life following a tragic event. We learn that another type of crash has affected him, this one in a car. We follow his subsequent attempts to seek some sort of peace and closure by attending meditation classes. “Everything that happens is created by you” says the guru leading the group; does that mean he caused the car crash? And as he takes the first tentative steps back into the brutal landscape of trading stocks, he feels the pressure begin to build.
Alone on stage and sitting in a black office chair the trader at first strikes us as a vulnerable individual, drawing us into his story, inviting our sympathy, even making us laugh with his descriptions of the meditation classes. But we gradually learn that he is not so likable, there are flaws; some of them severe. Jamie Michie speaks slowly, giving us time to think about the words. He proficiently fashions a character that at times appears nervous and self-conscious, repeatedly adjusting an already perfect tie; but then shocks us with a calm capacity for viciousness. With scant but sufficient stage direction he holds our attention throughout; solo shows are not easy to pull off so we should acknowledge the talents of the actor and director involved.
Andy Duffy’s sparse but powerful script gives us a bleak vision of the psychology of share trading. He asks us to fill in the gaps, he creates tension and sometimes confusion in what we might assume has happened. There are moments of domestic trivia and brutal violence which build towards a dark and disquieting conclusion. The sound effects and simple lighting work efficiently to create an intense atmosphere.
This piece is presented by Traverse Theatre Company, who were established over 50 years ago to extend the essence of the Edinburgh Festival and nurture emerging talent. The play certainly fits in that spirit and I can see how it would work well in a small, dark pub room watched by an eager festival audience but it loses something of that atmosphere in the bigger more formal space of Bristol’s Tobacco Factory Theatres.
You may come away asking yourself questions about fate and accountability; you may speculate about the value of money or of a human life. But probable you will just reflect on the many complex layers of the male persona, the raw pain of loss and the fragility of self-confidence. ★★★☆☆ Adrian Mantle 4th May 2016
Photo by Mihaela Bodlovic
