Review — Fourplay
✭✭✭✩✩ Light-hearted fun
Roisin Diamond and Alan McKenzie give a little Fourplay. Photo credit: Iain Davie, New Celts Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
3-23 August (odd dates), 2013
Review by Paul Johnson
Asked to nominate four people to explain about love, lust, loneliness and obsession, is it likely anyone would suggest two actors, a former-actor-turned-care worker and one of their co-workers?
Probably not. But while Jane Bodie’s play isn’t the deepest “delve into the heart of modern relationships” as the blurb suggests it is still a fun and funny work.
Tom and Natasha are rehearsing a play and, as they spend increasing time together learning lines, the flirting of their characters develops into the real thing. Tom, however, is in a long-term relationship with Alice, but she senses Tom drifting from her and has struck up a friendship with a fellow care-worker, Jack.
Following a nervy start when Alan McKenzie’s Tom comes over as just a little too flustered while learning lines and then being unable to cope with the attention of the sassy Natasha, he settles very nicely into the role. Later, he plays ‘drunk’ impeccably.
Roisin Diamond is suitably sassy as Natasha, portraying a modern woman who knows what she wants and is determined to get it with great conviction and compelling stage presence.
Chelsea Gilroy’s Alice gets most of the funny lines and makes the most of them with wonderful timing and delivery. Her character faces the most emotions in the play and as Gilroy deals with these she makes her character very real – someone you know.
Martyn Forbes has a difficult task with his character, Jack, who is what is commonly known as ‘a weirdo’. Forbes has to be commended for not letting Jack appear too creepy. Despite discovering Jack basically stalks Alice, it is important to believe that he and Alice could still form a relationship.
It is all very nicely pulled together by director Ian Dunn.
Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Run ends: Friday 23 August
theSpace on the Mile, Radisson Blu Hotel, 80 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TH (Venue 39)
Performances 3-23 August (odd dates only) at 2:10pm
Tickets from: www.edfringe.com
ENDS
Many thanks for taking the time to come and see the show Paul. Much appreciated and thank you for the positive review.
Just been to see this show – thought it was fantastic! Well done everyone, very convincing performance from Chelsea and Martyn who both played their parts very well, Alan was great also played his part very well. Good luck to you all for the remaining shows. I’m sure they will all be as good as today 🙂