Some good performances, but with a confusing and convoluted plotline.
Immediately coming into the space, there was a sense of comfort in the set, before any actors were even there. Simple, but effective. Overall, this play was well-written in theory, but the conclusion was confusing and unsatisfactory. Tony Bell, who played the dad, was absolutely the standout actor, conveying the confusion but loving nature of an older dad really well. He was open and clear to the audience at all times, and also interacted with intention and chemistry with every other actor on stage – even if this connection was seemingly unconventional!
Jasmine Dufa Pitt, playing Girl, warmed up to the audience as the play went on, however showed the changing emotions of a young pregnant woman convincingly despite the somewhat convoluted storyline and scripting.
One criticism of the direction would be that at times, some of the scenes shut out half of the audience, as we were positioned on two sides of the stage. For the majority of the play, there were clear sightlines to all performers. Just moments that were hard to see.
The family dynamics were established really effectively in the first three quarters of the play, with Marie Thorseth Molnes playing a really lovely giggly younger sister. She played opposite Dufa Pitt very nicely, playing the opposite sides of the same coin well, especially in the latter half of the play.
One thing that was not made clear was the introduction of the character Bjarne in the last fifteen minutes of the play. As his character was discussed in the beginning of the play, the audience believed he would remain a theoretical and merely discussed character. When he arrived at the house however, this added a further level of confusion to the plotline, as it seemed to disrupt the dynamic that had been building, but to no conclusion, instead only adding more questions to the ending of the play.
One final point is on the name of the play – The Name. In the description of this play. It was made out like this was the entire point of the play- figuring something out to do with the name of Girl’s unborn child. Unfortunately, despite a couple of short conversations surrounding it, it was never made clear what the intention of these were, other than to reinforce the dynamic between Girl and Boy. Had this been made clear that it was the intention from the beginning, it would have been fine, but the description of the play built it up to be more than it came across.
Overall, some good performances, but with a confusing and convoluted plotline.
This show runs at The White Bear Theatre until tomorrow. Tickets here.