★★★ | Between, Kings Head Theatre
Like the majority of plays featuring gay men – this one too has nudity… SURPRISED?
BETWEEN opened recently at the King Head Theatre Pub and can be seen as a 55-minute monologue adapted to fit the six characters that are played by two male actors. Loosely directed however vividly acted BETWEEN invites us to experience snippets from the portrayed lives of two childhood friends (exploring sexual activity), a couple in a relationship (suffering from sexual dysfunction) and an actor and tutor (where the actor falls for his tutor).
The three stories are relevant to each other and it’s not that difficult to figure out the outcomes, especially when it feels as though some of the stories have not been fleshed out or evenly concentrated on.
This short play has a few twinkling moments that these committed actors shine in nicely and I fear that these moments are not being received with the attention it deserves (as I look around the space and see the first three rows of men beaming at the boy’s semi-naked bodies).
Constant transformations into the different characters demand the actors to change and take their shirts on and off and not tautly done this can be quite distracting; however, it has to be done as the director chose this manoeuvre. To make this play more gripping and to compliment the small performance space perhaps the capable actors should have been allowed to show an emotional change in each character rather than displayed through a physical item (t-shirt).
May not be off the hook funny, emotional, surprising or unique but intelligence made an appearance when the impressive sonnets did – definitely a highlight and something to look out for.
I had to go and see BETWEEN after reading the rave reviews and feel this play has so much going for it that you never stop hoping that it will get better.
BETWEEN
Directed by: Geoffrey Hyland
Performed by: Nicholas Campbell and Oskar Brown
Kings Head Theatre
until 14th March 2015
http://www.kingsheadtheatre.com
