One of the newest theatre venues in the region is South Gloucestershire’s Brass Works Theatre which is currently housed above the Kingswood Heritage Museum in Warmley. Set up primarily as a venue to showcase local talent and celebrate regional history and culture. Last night’s offering was the premiere of a new play by Adrian Harris. Billed as a bittersweet comedy set at the beginning of the recession, it had the feel of a series of awkward moments from a successful soap opera.
John (Dan Gaisford) is attempting to ‘do the right thing’ in standing by pregnant girlfriend Lucy (who we never actually meet – shame as she sounds like an interesting character) and as the play opens he is in a newly painted nursery in his apartment, attempting to put together a flat pack cot in readiness for the birth. Thus distracted he is all but oblivious to the plight of best friend, George (Adrian Harris) who arrives to announce that the factory where he works has just been closed due to the banking crisis. Nor is his interest piqued when George announces portentously that he has come to a decision.
John’s apparent agitation at almost everything, for reasons we know not what, also proves defense against the considerable charms of Paula, a dart playing friend from the pub who protests a prior claim to his affections. Amanda Madison manages to get some mileage out her character, pulling off the trick of making her both sexually provocative and intellectually incisive. She twigs without too much bother what George has been trying to announce to the world about his own sexual orientation, or as he puts it, ‘Where I want to aim my darts’.
John’s endless displacement activity means that he never faces things head on and eventually George reveals his ‘decision’ and goes off to Afghanistan with the T.A., whilst Paula – sensible thing – takes herself off to art school. The denouement (which I won’t spoil) is not without pathos and finds Paula coming back to a dejected, but hardly changed John.
Set at the beginning of the recession, the play does hold out the possibility of an interesting perspective on the subsequent effects of the cupidity and incompetence of the financial sector on people’s lives. However I’m not sure that director, Adrian Harris, has extracted the most from his own script, which sets up an interesting triangle, but leaves us wanting to know and see a little more.
However all credit must be given for setting up such a venture in unlikely surroundings and providing a raw gem which given a little polishing could yet sparkle. ★★★☆☆ Graham Wyles
