Published in the Scotsman
AS PLAYWRIGHT and director Joel Horwood sees it, Peterborough is a
place of
cul-de-sacs, racism and modest ambition, with more past than
present.
As
the years tick by in this lively two-hander, he makes reference to
significant news events that are happening in London, Northern Ireland
…anywhere but here. Quite what there is to love about it, he never makes
clear.
Neither does he make clear where the heart of the play
lies. It begins as a coming-of-age story about Michael (Milo Twomey),
from first gay crush to first disappointed girlfriend, then
fast-forwards abruptly to his relationship, 15 years later, with the son
he has inadvertently fathered (played by Jay Taylor, who also keeps
busy on the keyboard). The switch in focus makes the first half of the
play seem like an extended preamble for the second, lessening the
emotional impact of the father-son tensions that develop.
There’s
so much narrative detail, it’s hard to see what the author’s intentions
are. That’s a shame, because there’s much to enjoy in the two
performances, the wit of the staging and the energy of Horwood’s
language.
Star rating: * * *
© Mark Fisher, 2012
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