Devilish Accord Productions, a comparatively new outfit on the Fringe Theatre scene, has set its sights high with their first full length play; a 60 minute tragic-comedy-romance which puts PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in the spotlight in a way that very few plays have previously done.
PTSD is certainly not a new condition - far from it - in fact anyone who has been in any war or conflict of any kind and survived the horrors that such situations must show, will have suffered from it in one way or another. Soldiers returning from the front in WW1 were known as 'bomb happy', and today we can label this, give it a name, a set of initials, but it doesn't make it any less real or any more manageable.
The play, written by the company's founding director David Chriscole, himself an ex-serviceman, gives voice to this condition in both a sensitive and a real way. Never skirting the issue, and never covering up, but yet, the exposition and full extent of his condition is drawn out over the whole length of the play and so we also are taken on his journey with him and feel nothing but sympathy and respect for him throughout.
We are in William's flat. He doesn't go out, prefers to watch TV and stay away from crowds. We don't know why. We learn that he has let part of his flat to his friend Justin, and we also are introduced to Justin's friend (we assume girlfriend) Amanda, who immediately has eyes for William. Over the course of the hour, these friendships will be tested to their limits, and no-one really comes out if it winning. There is plenty of good humour in the play too with a couple of really acerbic lines. It's a little slice of life where all emotions are being played off each other, but here there is a root cause of these problems, and this is always handled truthfully and sensitively.
I don't want to give any of the plot away - you already know too much. However I do feel I need to mention one thing. The play starts with a very stylised small choreographed movement from all three characters, which is taken up on every scene change by at least one. I think I understand why it was being done, but I do feel that stylistically it was out of place. The movement comes from physical theatre practices and since the rest of the play was real acting, it jarred stylistically.
William was played by Andrew Bentley (who trained at the same place as myself, although a couple of decades apart!) with a naturalism of style I have rarely seen. His emotional changes and command of both his inner demons and stage presence was awe-inspiring. Corin Silva was Justin, the best friend who misunderstood. His emotional changes were excellently measured and made an superb opposite for Bentley. Beth Hunter played Amanda, a young lady with designs of her own. I was a little aware that at times, especially when speaking confidentially or soothingly, she tended to lose her enunciation and projection. A nice characterisation nevertheless.
I think Messrs Chriscole have every reason to be proud of their first major production, and I look forward to seeing what the future will bring for them.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 12/9/18
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