Last Appointment is performed at the intimate fringe venue, The Casa on Hope Street in Liverpool. The theatre itself is situated in the spacious back room there. This was the ideal place to stage Last Appointment, with it’s minimal staging needing only one set. Last Appointment is one of the many plays being performed for the Liverpool Fringe Festival.
Zara Marie Brown directed Last Appointment, her dedication and hard-work were clearly displayed in the play. Written by John Mc, who has done a great job writing a play about a difficult subject, which is not frequently done in the theatre. He has done a tremendous amount of research for the play, by meeting up with survivors of childhood sexual abuse and basing his play around their stories. The script is a very powerful piece of theatre, which he has written with compassion and sensitivity.
Last Appointment was a two-hander with, Alice (Mairi-Claire Kennedy) and Stuart (Damien Rowe). The chemistry and dynamics between the characters were clearly noted during the play. Special mention particularly to Kennedy whose portrayal of Alice was raw and full of emotion. She played the role incredibly well by adding empathy and depth to her character.
The story opened, when Alice was reading a letter and anxiously wanting to make a phone call to a therapist, Stuart, to book her first appointment. After a few attempts, she finally managed to book an appointment to see him. At the initial therapy session, she revealed about her martial problems and her adverse reaction to seemingly innocuous banter from her husband, Martin.
During the subsequent therapy sessions, Alice got to know Stuart more, she opened up about her delinquent daughter, Kayleigh and the strain it was putting on her marriage. And later, Alice revealed details of her own childhood and the parallels between her daughter now and what happened to her in the past. She spoke about her struggling to cope with her teenage daughter, who was spiralling out of control, whilst at the same time, dealing with a ghost from her childhood and her marraage in the present. There was a great use of time lapses used with the past, the present and the future all playing a vital part in the narrative.
Alice really wanted to resolve these issues and be in a better place. Without revealing too much, there were twists and turns in this play, which made the audience wonder what would happen next. The narrative was paced well and created tension as the story progressed. A terrific climax to a heart-breaking story.
The set design was very minimal as Last Appointment was in one setting, the therapist’s room. The only props visible were on the desk and a few that the characters used for some of their scenes. The costumes of Alice and Stuart were good and displayed the characters well. The lighting was utilised really well at certain points in the play, when Alice revealed a deep dark secret. Sound was very good throughout the play and the projection of both actor’s voices could be clearly heard. The ticking of the clock was incorporated well between the scenes to differentiate one appointment to the next one.
Last Appointment was a very powerful piece of writing, by John Mc, which was difficult to watch at certain points in the play, but was essential to show the full extent of childhood sexual abuse and the effects and traumas it can lead to in later life. Amazing performance by Kennedy, whose portrayal of Alice was mesmerising to watch. Her emotional, deeply troubled character was conveyed incredibly well. Definitely worth seeing this production.
Reviewer - Mark Cooper
on - 11/6/19
No comments:
Post a Comment