26 May
Gently comic but with a serious theme, Tapped is an impressive debut stage play by Nottingham writer Katie Redford. Presenting three characters who are each in their own way trying to cope with mental health issues (‘tapped’ is slang for being mentally unwell) she explores the gulf between the cosy world of trite fridge-magnet mottos and the much tougher, intractable complexities of real life. The result is a bitter-sweet play with many of the tropes of situation comedy, but deftly delivered shifts in mood ensure that there is as much emphasis on poignant reflection as there is on laughter. It does not respond to its subject matter in as hard-hitting a fashion as some might wish, but in its relatively soft-centred way it delivers its message very effectively.
The walls of the shabby basement room are black. A young man, Gavi, energetically chalks messages on the walls. He is watched attentively by Dawn, while her daughter Jen sits in bored teenager pose, arms crossed and head turned away. All three wear t-shirts emblazoned with ‘GO GET IT’ for this is the inaugural meeting of Gavi’s motivational self-help group, and Dawn and Jen are the sole attendees. Nervously energetic, Gavi launches into his opening speech. He is frequently interrupted both by Dawn’s expressions of approval and by Jen’s snide sarcasm, but he presses on. ‘Today is a gift’ he urges, ‘which is why we call it the present.’ Jen is derisive, but Dawn seems impressed.
Tapped is presented in a series of short scenes, each one representing one of Gavi’s motivational sessions, during which his inadequacies as a crowd-gathering motivator become clear. Amid much squabbling, often very funny, the sad reality of Dawn and Jen’s inner lives is exposed. Marie Blount delivers a touching performance as the seemingly naïve and gullible Dawn, gradually revealing that her faith in Gavi’s vacuous mantras and her belief in a comforting spirit world act as a kind of shield behind which she hides from the consequences of her debilitating bouts of depression. Those consequences have included her estrangement from her daughter, whose cynicism is delivered with comic skill in AK Golding’s magnetic performance. It is eventually revealed that Jen’s stroppy put-downs arise from the anger and fear of a girl haunted by the suspicion that she has inherited her mother’s mental vulnerability. Later, when Jen sings part of Spandau Ballet’s Gold that confidently assertive anthem to self-belief turns into a wistful, yearning expression of hope.
Max Hastings is also entirely convincing as the endearingly well-intentioned Gavi, whose messianic ambitions also prove to be a cover for private anguish. The precise nature of Gavi’s torment is one that many people share, but it is revealed rather too late in the action to be explored in any great depth.
Director Piers Black has ensured that the periods of awkward silence are as eloquent as those of dialogue, and Tapped sustains interest throughout, building to a reconciliatory scene where there is a rueful acceptance of reality, and of each other.
★★★★☆ Mike Whitton, 27 May 2023
Photo credit: Lidia Criafulli
