Thrilling character driven drama on the collateral damage of sexual abuse
Whilst celebrating the opening night of the school’s production of Romeo and Juliet that he’s directed, beloved local school teacher Tom receives a phone call that changes everything. The cast freeze and the play jumps forward two years to the release of Tom from prison – accused, charged, and convicted of raping a female student performing in his play.
Written by Carey Crim and directed by Katharine Farmer, 23.5 Hours explores the fallout on family and friends when a man is convicted of sexual crimes. While the play is about the actions and impact of the conviction despite guilt of Tom (David Sturzaker), it’s the character of his wife, Leigh, played by Lisa Dwan, who drives the plot forward. Tom’s release breathes new life into the struggles that Leigh has been able to keep from boiling over for the past two years; hatred from the community, the judgement of friends, and pacifying a son who’s trying to navigate his school life with the question of his father’s actions hanging over him. Most importantly though, Leigh has to reconcile with herself the ever important question of whether she believes her husband is innocent or not.
Dwan thrives in unravelling the composure of Leigh throughout the production, as the doubt that she buries deep within creeps closer to the surface, and her desire to remain in close proximity to Tom is tested to its limit. Sturzaker’s portrayal of Tom is also quietly brilliant. Meek, and hollow by design in the early stages of the performance as he adjusts to his new role in life as a registered sex offender, but as Tom’s comfort on the outside grows, he backs his former self on the innocent care he showed his former students, but with this comes the most gentle hints of sinister darkness that Sturzaker does well to not overcook, but allows the audience to question Tom’s intentions.
Friends of the couple, Jayne and Bruce, serve as reflections of two typical voices in society in the face of sexual crimes. Bruce (Jonathan Nayati) remains supportive of his friend Tom, in the same way that many men fail to challenge their friends on improper behaviour around women. Bruce is frequently blasé about concerns that Jayne has about Tom. Jayne (Allyson Ava-Brown) serves as both an antagonist and a voice of reason, the only character able to put personal feelings aside, preferring to balance her views on statistics, and probabilities, but driving a wedge between Tom and Leigh in the process. Both Nayati and Ava-Brown perform their modest roles perfectly here.
While light on plot, limited to the progression of Leigh’s doubts and the improvement in relations between Tom and his son, Nicholas (Jem Matthews) 23.5 Hours is a captivating drama that gives an honest reflection on how this crime, infamous for its uncertainty, can impact more than just the victim.