(Review of the production at the 2012 Witness Hilton Art
Festival by Margaret von Klemperer, courtesy of The Witness)
James Cunningham, back at his old school, gives a great
performance in this one-man piece, written by Nick Warren and directed by
Jenine Collocott.
On a stage where his only props are a series of rectangular
boxes which can represent a cityscape or anything else he needs, Cunningham
tells the story of Matt, a photographer whose life has been going along just
fine. He has a stable relationship with his live-in girlfriend, plenty of good,
interesting work, opportunities for travel, and a comfortable and organised
home (though the colonising of his bathroom and cupboard space by the said
girlfriend is a bit of an irritation). What more could a selfish
thirty-something want?
What he doesn’t want is the news that he is going to be a
father. And so he sets out for a run – a classic escape mechanism. But in an
attempt to work off his frustration and sort out his feelings, he ends up in a
run-down area where he is way out of his comfort zone, and where something
happens that will utterly change his life.
The storyline is simple, but the script is witty and
Cunningham’s performance clever enough to avoid any possible slide into
sentimentality. There is a fine combination of acting and mime which adds up to
a very satisfying hour in the theatre. - Margaret von Klemperer
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