Boa

by Clara Brennan

seen at Trafalgar Studios Two on 3 March 2015

This is a two-handed play starring Harriet Walter as Boa, a British dancer and choreographer, and Guy Paul as her husband Louis, an American war journalist. It is directed by Hannah Price.

In the extremely intimate space of the Trafalgar Studio's second theatre a couple reflect on their lives together, charting the history of a long relationship in a mixture of reminiscence and re-enactment that is wise, reflective, at times amusing and at times deeply sad. 

The structure of the play demands great skill from the actors as the shifts from the present to the past are instantaneous, often indicated only by a change of lighting and a different expression on the actors' faces. Thus emotional registers switch on and off and cannot be allowed to bleed from one episode to the next. Harriet Walter and Guy Paul give consummate performances, making the transitions with no apparent effort and rendering the entire arc of the play totally persuasive.

We see the history of a difficult but basically intensely enjoyed relationship presented in the course of 85 minutes. The two are different people, from different countries and family backgrounds, so there is plenty of opportunity for tension and misunderstanding, signalled by quarrels, depressions, avoidances; but their is also a deep current of affection and forbearance expertly rendered by small gestures, wry amusement at familiar jokes and typical behaviours - all the little and big things that contribute to a longstanding partnership. It is a wonderful production presented by two great actors.