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Passing time on dodgy knees
Adrian’s Wall
Malvern Forum
**** A FORTY year
old office worker (Adrian) who decides to break out of his humdrum
existence by undertaking to walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall with any
old school-mates who care to join him, is the subject of Nick Wilkes’
new play in the Forum at Malvern. It is a comedy of characters and verbal jousting
with some underlying more serious themes; it is a rewarding evening at
the theatre. Initially he is joined in the venture by two
contemporaries from his primary school, Nevil and Bryan. Not long after
they encounter a veteran soldier of the Iraq war, who lives his life
travelling the length of Hadrian’s Wall repeatedly and who becomes
effectively their guide on the trek. The comedy mainly arises from the contrast of
characters: Nevil Bentley, the well-to-do son of a successful author, is
a bit of an ‘anorak’ with his gluten-free diet and gadgetry, a cultured,
educated and eccentric pedant, who fusses about his health, his use of
language and his own failure as a writer. He could come out of P.G.
Wodehouse. Bryan Smallbone is an unemployed builder from
Barnsley whose marriage is collapsing under the pressure of unemployment
and lack of money, and who combines moments of depression with
aggression and earthy humour. The two conflict sharply in the first act
especially.
They join Adrian, a formerly obese man, who has
made huge strides in losing weight but whose knees will not last the
next decade! During their increasingly painful journey, we
occasionally get flashbacks to past scenes in the lives of the
individuals, giving us an insight into their personal journeys: the
marital row between Bryan and his young wife Tina; Adrian and his
psychiatric nurse assessing his medical progress; Nevil experiencing the
publisher’s rejection; and most vividly Stewart’s front-line battle
traumas under heavy fire in Iraq. The interplay of the characters provides the
entertainment but through the frivolity Nick Wilkes manages to raise
numerous serious issues. He contrasts the trivial worries of the three
schoolmates with the serous and life-changing traumas of the young
soldier. Time and mortality, divorce, recession and
financial stress, most significantly the devastating impact of modern
warfare on young men are highlighted, particularly in the scene with the
unsympathetic milkman who inhabits a totally different world to the
homeless rough-sleeper. This is linked to the production serving to
promote the work of Help for Heroes. The play is in a traverse setting: the audience
look across the wall and the action to the audience on the other side.
The simple set works brilliantly, the grass glinting with dew, one side
of the wall at one point opening up to become an armoured personnel
carrier in the Iraqi desert under fire from the enemy! Murray Andrews as Nevil, stands out as the class
act in a strong cast. His eccentric character entertains us with his
apps on his phone telling us when he is moving, when he has stopped, how
far he has come and how far is yet to go! The portable Foot-Spa
epitomises his affluent preoccupation with gadgetry. Rob Keeves, as builder Bryan, provides the comic
antidote to Nevil; his northern accent slips at times and his long
monologue about the Barnsley Building Cooperative is too long but he is
a valuable source of humorous conflict with Nevil. Robert Temple (Adrian) is the steady referee
between the other two and provides a consistent performance. Pippa
Meekings covers the female roles with great variety and contrast. The
brooding presence in much of the play provided by Adrian Ross-Jones, the
veteran soldier, is very powerful and convincing. Despite the fact that this production is a bit too long and both the humour and the more serious issues could be handled more succinctly, it is a very entertaining evening, and the balance of humour and serious issues is very contemporary and the audience were very appreciative. Nick Wilkes is a talented writer and this is a production very worthy of support. To 20-09-14 Tim Crow
17-09-14
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