KDC Spring Double Bill

Drowning by Ewen Moore
Directed by Sarah Butler

Life Dilemmas by Nick Mouton
Directed by Eddie Coleman

The Courtyard Theatre, May 2005

KDC have built on their successful foray into new writing last year, with a double bill of complimentary one-act plays to complete their spring season. Relationships are the starting point for both pieces, but Drowning by Ewen Moore is an elliptical exploration of the devastating consequences of a summer romance, whilst Nick Mouton's Life Dilemmas is a light and funny observational comedy on the intricacies of modern dating.

The more complex of the two plays both in terms of form and subject, Ewen Mooreıs Drowning follows a group of actors from their meeting one summer to perform a Passion Play in the Italian countryside, through to their failed reunion the following year and the long term effects of the relationships they forge. The aptly named Faith (Alice Driscoll) is the new member of the group, brought along to play Mary Magdalene, who falls for lothario George (Jamie Halliday), cast as Judas, one night by the lake. But free spirited George will not be held down by the summer liaison and Faith is ultimately heart broken, comforted and protected by the spontaneous yet worldly wise Rebecca (Anna-Rosa Coppi). The play is told in a non-linear fashion and we move from scenes from the first summer, through to moments of the failed reunion. These stories are spliced by a third time zone with which the play also begins and ends, where we discover a disorientated Faith thrown into a Huis Clos type situation with George and Rebecca: George not recognising either of the women, Faith only recognising George, and Rebecca alone recognising everyone. This zone is lovelorn Faithıs head in her final moments before she commits suicide by drowning herself.

Drowning is an ambitious piece both in terms of its imagery and structure, and sometimes the narrative is a little elusive and the play's central concern, Faith's devastation at George's rejection, perhaps not quite deeply explored enough to really delve into the complexity of her psychology. Despite these challenges, Sarah Butler's production worked hard to open up the story for the audience, and balanced well the interplay between the intensity of Faith's journey and well-timed comic relief brought by other members of the acting group: highly-strung director Katherine (Tracey Pocock), sceptical old hand William (Alistair McClure) and flamboyant set designer Demis (Piers Burnell). Showing internalised grief on stage is difficult, but Moore solves this in his dramatisation of Faith's final moments. These different states of Faith's mind, from her relaxed early meetings with Rebecca in the Tuscan sun, through her attraction to George and her final dark moments alone were well realised through Alice Driscoll's performance of the innocent and then distracted, Faith, and her interaction with Anna Rosa-Coppi's down-to-earth and natural Rebecca. A easy-going and convincing performance too came from Jamie Halliday as George, whilst the theatre company trio of Pocock, McClure and Burnell were fantastically good value both for their individual, heightened characterisations, and all to familiar ensemble bickering.

In contrast to the darkness of Drowning, Nick Mouton's Life Dilemmas is a more light-hearted investigation into twenty-something dating in the city. The play starts with Dave (James Davis), waking up in an unfamiliar bed, with an unfamiliar girl desperately trying to piece together the night before (and work out her name). We then follow as Dave tries to pluck up the courage to ask out the girl he fancies, Clare (Sarah Chapman), who works in the chemists, and, after a number of embarrassing medical purchases and the intervention of his colleagues (the go-getting Laura (Stephanie Henderson) and ever so slightly gauche Ryan (Richard Williams)), finally finds himself at her place for the ubiquitous coffee. It's a simple story, but Mouton has punctuated it with hilarious observations familiar to any city dweller, which offer wonderful cameos for Katrina Leek and George Ornbo, as a variety of characters from drunken hen to fussy homeless guy Sid ("I don't want food, I'm starting to look too healthy, it's bad for business"). What we get are the funny little questions in life: Why do people use umbrellas when it's not raining? What do you do if a random bloke starts staring at you on the tube? Why is it that women always seem to know one another? When is the right time to remove your chewing gum?

This is a naturalistic piece, which utilises direct address to the audience in the Cold Feet/ Video diary style. Short sketch-like scenes ensure that the play whizzes by, moving from dilemma to dilemma, funny situation to funny situation, but although the play is comic, it is also touchingly human: Mouton never over-eggs his pudding. Eddie Coleman's production neatly lets the text do its work and shifts us simply through the multiple locations the story requires with a light but well paced touch (He also starts off with Billy Bragg which gets my vote any day). Great performances all round in a play which is a gift for the cast, but specifically from James Davis as the hapless every-bloke Dave, and Katrina Leek as the drunken hen complete with L-Plates and tiara.