I am writing this article the day following the Lionesses retaining their Women’s European Championship after extra time and penalties. Had the men’s team enjoyed even a fraction of the success gained by the women, this play by Christopher Wollaton may have turned out much differently.
The piece is a two-hander, starring the playwright and Lucy Farrar, as Jack and Suzie, a couple who have settled down to watch England meet Argentina in the knockout stage of a tournament. Actually, the term settle down is a mile away from the truth, as Jack is wound up tighter than the spring in a Rolex. He has decided to share the experience of the game with his girlfriend, the aforementioned Suzie, at home on the sofa, along with a bunch of flowers he has bought her, and copious amounts of his favourite Belgian lager, which she has been asked to go to the shops for.
He would obviously have much preferred to be viewing the match at the pub with his mates, but he has decided that he had better stay at home for two reasons: firstly, he would like to instil his passion for the beautiful game into the psyche of Suzie, and secondly, he is trying to accumulate a bunch of Brownie points by not repeating the incident which occurred the last time he had been in the company of fellow supporters at the boozer, when he returned home, much the worse for wear, and redecorated the kitchen in a fetching shade of puke.
As the match progressed, a whole gamut of emotions emerged, elicited by both the footie and the nervous small talk between the pair, which triggered Jack’s jealousy and paranoia as well as Suzie’s innermost feelings about their relationship.
It must be made clear that this performance was a kind of preview, in order to hone the play into a finished article, as is done with large productions in the week or so before the premiere, so I won’t dwell too much on the details, as they may be tweaked before you get to see the final version. What I will say though, is that the acting from both of the participants was incredible. Mr Wollaton’s instant transformation from animated football fan on the edge of his seat, shouting at the ref and players on screen, to vulnerable, insecure, jealous wreck, simply by asking a question about acquaintances of Suzie out of nowhere, indicating that it had been preying on his subconscious the whole time, was superbly executed.
Ms Farrar played the coerced wife, who would also have rather been somewhere else, in her case at a friend’s house to keep her company, probably in the kitchen, while her husband and his mates watched the game in the lounge. As the tension in the match increased so did that in the house, eventually boiling over into a full-blown confrontation between the couple. Once again the emotional range of her performance was breathtaking, I am sure that she was in tears at one point, not with sadness, but frustration caused by the situation she had endured for too long.
There were a lot of comedic moments, also handled with perfect timing by the duo.
The intimate surroundings of the Studio at Harrogate Theatre added to the claustrophobic atmosphere of two people who wanted to be somewhere else, but were unnecessarily trapped by wanting to do what they thought was the right thing.
The play was Directed by Michael Parker, who was also Sound Designer, as well as Lighting Designer along with Matthew Staite.
There are a few more dates on the run so, should you be in the Newcastle area on Wednesday, 30th or Thursday, 31st July, get down to The Newgate Social, to see this wonderful play. As a bonus for you, Alan Shearer gets a mention. Tickets are available from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/newcastle-upon-tyne/the-newgate-social/brawn-theatre-coming-home-theatre/e-zoqlgb
It then moves on to a three-night run at The Hope Theatre, Islington, from Tuesday, 12th to Thursday, 14th August. Tickets at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehopetheatre/e-agopra
To see what else is coming to Harrogate Theatre it is https://www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk/
Images provided by Christopher Wollaton
Tyke It To The Limit 