A fear of the unknown is at the heart of ‘Is It Really Good to Talk?’ and it’s a fear that most of us know well, one way or another. The ringing phone on its special table, arguably the star of the show, provides a key focus for the exploration of this fear for the protagonist, Mat.
The play is presented as a series of monologues with a few comic interludes from a variety of colourful characters on the other end of the line. This includes a neurotic woman who is desperate to speak to the man she spent the night with (but who gave her the wrong number), a telephone salesman who promises to be different (but isn’t) and a heavy breather who has no audible dialogue leaving the audience to make up their own mind about what the conversation with Mat is actually about (inevitably, the suggestion is something rude and my judgement on this was confirmed by the titters that went around the audience at this point!)
Mat himself is wonderfully portrayed by Mat Pinckney, who successfully engages the audience with his chatty familiarity which grows as the play progresses. His monologues over the many different aspects of how annoying and nerve-wracking all things to do with the phone are, are cleverly written and delivered with energy and precision.
Other than a couple of small technical timing issues the only significant complaint I had was the request for involvement from the audience by Mat. These were rather annoying and definitely unnecessary directorial choices given the standard of script and how engaging the performances were. Completely out of character and the only points when Mat Pickney’s performance dipped, they disrupted the flow of the play and detracted from the otherwise excellent script produced by Julia Lee Dean.
However, as a gentle comedy with a serious note to it, the play succeeded in entertaining the audience and in leaving us with a little food for thought. With smiles and positive comments all round when the lights went up, this is definitely worth a watch.
