On-Stage 2nd July 2011

This evening of two new one-act plays was based upon the intriguing and adventurous premise of both unconnected pieces being fuelled by an off-stage character.

First up was " Hello Mrs Silverstone". This simple idea of a persistently wrong number started off interesting and amusing but easily could have been dull and repetive.

We meet the Parker family at a typically busy breakfast table with mother and father frantically preparing themselves and their teenage daughter to get ready for their day ahead. The regular calls from the forgettable, lonely, sad woman desperately hoping to contact her son are seen as nothing more than an unnecessary interruption.

As the story unfolds we learn more about the unseen woman but more importantly it helps us to understand more about the characters of the Parkers as they all deal with her in their different ways. The arrival of John's brother Will changes the atmosphere as we discover that an old, sick woman seeking her son Johnny has emotional resonnances with both brothers.

The writer can only do so much and you need the actors to bring the characters to life. Here she is well-served by all the performers, in particular Chris Williams and James Sidwell as the brothers with Carly Kavanagh providing comic relief as a typically difficult teenager dealing with dual troubles of a first boyfriend and and auditioning for " Cordelia".

However, the triumph of the play is due to the writer Natralie Stone. The concept of using two seperate stories, the Parkers & the phone-call to create a 3rd story sound easy but is notoriously difficult to achieve. Truly, an exceptional piece.

A brief interlude to grab some much-needed fresh air as the theatre was heating up and we were back. The second piece " A Sunday Roast" was set at a dinner table where Welsh parents expectedly await the arrival of their son & his new girlfriend. As this unfolded I had a feeling of deja-vu until the penny dropped that I had seen this scene before as part of a Script Slam final Sherman a couple of years ago.

Again, we are in familiar territory of the routine of a weekly family get-together for food with all the tension, boredom and repetition that can entail. Fairly quickly though the cosiness of this gathering is shattered and we get to see what the outsider to the Perkins family, Adelaide, truly thinks and feels. This heralds the appearance of a 2nd Adelaide who reveals herself through a variety of monolgues to an unseen psychiatrist. Gradually we become aware that her one true love was the unseen Catrin from an idyllic holiday a million miles away from the stifling Welsh
life in which she was now trapped. However, with all the drama this story contains I found the additional story of the mother's descent into Dementia an unnecessary addition to the plot.

Again, the writer is aided by exemplary performances, in particular Maeve Scullion as the "real" Adelaide, Charlie Hammond her long-suffering husband and Christopher Cale who provided some much-needed humour. Special mention must also go to Emma McNab who as well as dealing with 2 large roles in both plays displayed a beautifully and unexpected sense of dance with impressive poise and balance at the end of what must have been a tiring evening.

This was my 1st visit to the YMCA theatre, a gem of a theatre, literally hidden away on the outskirts of Cardiff. Definitely worth a return visit. This was an evening where a lot of thought had been put into it by the organisers, especially the glorious touch of offering Ginger Snaps and Jelly, both of which became integral parts of the play.

We may have left hot & tired but with a lot to discuss as both plays were enjoyable and thought-provoking. Congratulations to all concerned. I eagerly await hearing more from " Empty Pocket" theatre.