Acclaimed
playwright Alison Carr's latest offering,
At first glance, the play seems to centre around a somewhat crude metaphor (the cracks appear in Moira’s flat as the cracks appear in her relationship) but as it progresses it becomes apparent that this metaphor is a smokescreen for another, deeper one.
At first glance, the play seems to centre around a somewhat crude metaphor (the cracks appear in Moira’s flat as the cracks appear in her relationship) but as it progresses it becomes apparent that this metaphor is a smokescreen for another, deeper one. As the presence of the foot makes itself felt more and more, so does what it represents: female body image and identity.
Despite this deep figurative layering, the play has a very light, consistently comic tone, and this is fully utilised by director Joe Douglas. Douglas also directed We Can All Agree to Pretend this Never Happened for A Play, A Pie and a Pint earlier in the season, and his skill at drawing out comic performances from his cast is common to both productions. Humour remains at the forefront of the show, allowing the more serious aspects to slip in under the radar.
Despite very strong performances, characterisation is something of a weak point in the play. Neither characters seems to have much of a reality outside of what they require for this conversation. There are few quirks, no real sense of what it is about these two people that has kept them together for a decade, against the odds. Still, Conlon and Fraser make the most of what they have. Conlon's Peter is just the right balance between self-defensive appeasement and naked self-interest, while Fraser really takes us with her every step of the way through her emotional journey.
In all, this is an unexpectedly complex play which deserves closer scrutiny than its laugh-a-minute dialogue might suggest.
