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Owen Sharpe and Kevin Trainor Stones in His PocketsMalvern
Theatres
**** The echoes of Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are Dead or Waiting for Godot performed in the style of the
Reduced Shakespeare Company are strong in this play at Malvern this
week. Two actors performing multiple characters with
quick-fire changes, two characters who are mere extras on a Hollywood
film set in rural Ireland, provide the substance of a drama in which the
two cultures clash. Owen Sharpe and Kevin Trainor are fundamentally
the Irish lads Jake and Charlie, but swap into numerous other characters
to tell the story. However, the element of story is weak. It develops
somewhat more in Act Two, when the tensions created by the suicide of
their friend Sean, who walks into the sea with ‘stones in his pockets’,
bring out a clearer narrative. The funeral interrupts the schedule of the
producers of the film who are working to a tight and fast-approaching
deadline. The life of the play comes largely from the earthy Irish
characters and the hasty switches in role, and therefore voice and
accent. Sharpe and Traynor bring great energy to the
show. Owen’s physicality and Kevin’s strong delineation of characters,
such as the film’s star Caroline Giovanni, showcase their great talent.
However, the limitations of the plot restrict the success of the piece
overall. ‘Who
wants to go to see a film about a suicide and get depressed?’ asks one
of them ironically. ‘Isn’t that why we have the theatre?’
There is a general sense of gloom and shattered dreams permeating
the piece, echoing the brokenness of the American Dream. The simplicity of the set designed by Peter
Mackintosh, and the excellent lighting plot designed by Howard Harrison,
provide a strong context for the two actors to deliver their lively and
versatile performances. But the show overall fails to soar above the
clever and witty but superficial observation of earthy characters and
conflicts. To 27-04-19. Tim Crow 23-04-19 |
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