by Joe White
seen at the Orange Tree Theatre on 17 May 2018
Guy Jones directs Simon Scardifield as Ben, Irfan Shamji as Harry, Evelyn Hoskins as Loops and Niky Wardley as Cat in this first play by Joe White.
Once again the Orange Tree Theatre has produced the goods. Interestingly, this is another play in a rural setting dealing with devastating loss, but it is quite different from Nightfall which I saw recently at the Bridge Theatre, and, in my opinion, more satisfying. The explanation for the strange behaviour of Ben, his wife Cat and daughter Loops is not clear until late in the play, but in this case the withholding of information is not nearly as contrived (in terms of the world of the play) - not least because the fourth character is initially a stranger to them all - even Loops's claim of prior acquaintance turns out to be fleeting. While all three of members of this family behave oddly, not to say at the extreme end of credibility, the atmosphere of the play allows us to take everything on trust while awaiting further revelation. When it comes, the result is almost unbearably poignant.
