In football, you don’t see those on the same team turn on each other, until now…
Car Crash, written and directed by Bruno Magnanti, follows the journey of a football club losing their most valuable football player. They are to make a deal before the January transfer window closes. We see behind-the-scenes of the trouble and corruption in England’s most loved sport.
Car Crash is such a well written play, and even for someone who does not generally watch or understand football, I was able to follow the story very well and it made me curious to find out more about football politics. A balance was achieved between light moments and hard-hitting moments, executed beautifully by the cast, each playing a fully fledged and important character. The energy of the cast members worked well within the space, and the comedic timing of lines was achieved really well.
The protagonist Peter Murlowe, played by Michael Byers, was the club’s chairman. Byers did a fantastic job of constantly plating with two opposing energies. He was fighting with his emotions through the entire play and you could see that his character was physically and mentally exhausted. It was very entertaining to watch.
Jonny Magnanti, who plays big-boss manager David Rubin, gave a powerful performance. The way he was able to control the room with just his presence was amazing and as soon as he stepped onto stage, his character was impressively intimidating. The loud silence from the audience showed how well his status translated.
Victoria Sasso portrayed Sarah Isley with such a fierce energy. Despite being the only female in the office and facing so much adversity, the character holds her own consistently, no matter what. It was very empowering to watch.
I really enjoyed watching the character arc of Tremont Deigh’s character, Micheal Lansana. He went from being the office underdog to the only person brave enough to stand up to the big boss. Watching him go from a submissive, nonchalant and small character to a dominant and powerful force showed how much range he has as an actor and he played both of them very well. I also loved the characterisation of Jason Lumley, played by Craig Edgley. You could tell he represented the people who have a passion for the sport. He was very charismatic and had a bold presence.
I thoroughly enjoyed this play. The writing was exceptional, as were the actors and the story telling.