When humour meets darkness in a modern moral dilemma
Jaimee Doyle’s Dead Wrong is the perfect example of a piece of dark comedy, bringing in just enough lightness to what could otherwise be heavy themes, turning them light enough to be brought up and held in much needed conversations nowadays.
We follow two characters with an unusual friendship, Nolan and Fiadh, in a much troubled moment of their lives – a murder has been committed, putting into question their loyalty with each other, and giving centerpiece to the question “When is it wrong to kill?”. Between the themes of sexual assault, power and race, this piece clearly underlines some major issues still relevant in our society nowadays.
It is clear how much time and effort Doyle put into the writing of this script. The timing of each interjection is so perfect, the specific turns of phrases and words of each character chosen so carefully, the moments of sarcasm aptly bringing lightness to such dark themes… The explanations and words left unsaid makes us crave for the full story early on, while perhaps making the plot slightly more confusing than it had to be. While Doyle’s script is very smartly written, there could be some confusion around the circumstances of each person’s death, who exactly died versus who is still alive, due to the somewhat complex interweaving stories of both characters.
Although neither character has some particularly likeable features, Doyle succeeds in making us empathise with both by giving each highly unique yet complex personality traits. The realism of the characters is emphasised by the fantastic acting of both actors, each throwing in soul and body into their role. This leads to some spontaneous and unexpected moments of hilarity, either through a naively funny comment from one, or the very absurdly humorous fainting scene of the other.
The stage is relatively bare – a sofa, a living room table, and two bits of wall acting as folding screens to help the actors change clothes. It is just the right amount of props to convey the sense of realism the plot needs. Furthermore, the use of the space is remarkable. Not one inch of the stage is left unused, from every corner of the room, to the table and CD player, giving the 1-hour performance much dynamism within the single setting and plot. This constant displacement also helps in conveying power changes between the two friends, in a game of push-and-pull, persuasion and manipulation.
Finally, Gray Enever’s direction of this play is remarkable. From the lighting, to the perfect timing of each movement and interjection, to the crescendo of tension until the breaking point towards the end, every part seems to have been thought through carefully. It is a beautiful play which deserves much praise.
Dead Wrong runs at the Edinburgh Fringe from the 17th to the 29th August. Tickets here.