Brighton Fringe 2009
Low Down
Brighton-based theatre company, Mad Dogs revive "Casualties", a "bitter-sweet tale of sex and cream cakes, swimming pools and all-night chemists, strange coincidences and unfinished sentences" in a short one act play that deserves a longer run
Review
This is a revival of a play about the revival of a "relationship". Mad Dogs bring Richard Hurford’s one act play to the Pavilion stage with much skill and some excellent timing. In fact this is a bit of a masterclass in pacing and timing in a play that is full of subtlety and emotional undertones. We sense a suppressed longing in the two characters, played with a naturalistic yet emotionally strong interpretation by Owen Aaronovitch and Fiona Bruce.
This is a production where the silences are as important as the spoken words, where the looks are as important as any grander physical gestures. It’s all staged with an economy of direction that works very effectively creating a mood of intensity that kept the audience engaged throughout.
The play did not always find a completely comfortable home on the fairy large stage of the Pavilion theatre, and it deserves a more intimate setting, for what is a very intimate play. Aaronovitch is not an over-the-top actor and this approach works very effectively as a foil for Bruce’s own sensitive portrayal. There’s a lot of warmth in both writing and performances, and this was brought out well by both actors without losing the more sober theme of "unfinished business" at the heart of this play.
Overall, this is a play well worth seeing, and I hope it goes on to tour. An impressive revival from a highly accomplished pair of actors in a thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended play.
Show Website
Mad Dogs Theatre
