4 Dogs & A Bone

"Nobody knows anything" William Goldman once famously wrote about Hollywood. Not only is this double Oscar-winning screenwriter name-checked throughout John Patrick Shanley's play but it remains the premise for this seventy-five minute play.

The piece opens in the office of producer Bradley discussing the progress of his latest film with
wannabe starlet Brenda. Naturally the film is in trouble, he wants cuts to save money and she is cunningly trying to get herself a bigger part. Cut to a seedy bar where we meet the previously unseen but mentioned writer and lead actress. More drama unfurls as he gets drunk to recover from the sudden death of his mother and being yet another insecure actress she wants him to re-write the script to increase her part further.

Basically this is familiar Hollywod territory. No-one can be trusted, everyone is obsessed by money, being over-shadowed by fellow actors, having their script decimated whilst lying, cheating and doing whatever is necessary to get themselves on top.

We are not a million miles away from David Mamet's " Speed The Plow" here and again we have the problem that when surrounded by all these grotesques it is hard to care about any of them and their predicament. The only saving grace was the writer but by the end his innocence and naivety has (for no real reason that I could follow) joined the others in their relentless quest for power and control.

Despite these reservations there is still much to enjoy here. The dialogue is crisp and increasingly funy. The battle of the two desperate women is hysteriacally bitter, especially when Collette deliberately misinterprets Brenda's chanting mantra and when the producer suffers worsening pain from the boil on his bum.

But the main reason for coming is the quality of the acting. Despite a hesitant start Daniel O'Meara played Bradley convincingly as a particularly manic Al Pacino ( which as any film goer knows is very manic indeed).

Amy Tez and Laura Pradelski both beautifully capture the differing insecurities that their particular actresses possess. But amongst these horrible characters the role of the writer Victor is vital. Joe Jameson is completely convincing as the innocent lamb trying to avoid being eaten by the pack of scavenging wolves surrounding him. He is the sole character you identify with although he is ultimately and ironically let down by the playwright.

The biggest credit I can give them all is that their accents were so convincing I was surprised to discover in the programme that none of them were actually American! I must also congratulate the Phoenix Artists club on creating such an accessible space. I used to frequent "Fino's" and " Shuttleworths" in the late 1980's & was pleased to have a reason to return after all these years. It is good to have "fringe" venues right in London's glittering West End.

This may not be a great American comedy but it is still worth watching in great surroundings.