A Number

I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere evening of Perth Theatre Company's latest production, and mingle with many of Perth's theatre glitterati- including one well-known and well-loved Scottish optometrist. Gordon will undoubtedly post a review of this production as well so I won't steal too much of his thunder, but instead concentrate on what I made of the production. Firstly, Caryl Churchill's script offers an intriguing and faintly dystopian premise- how would one react to being confronted with the clone(s) of one's child? How does one distinguish between them? Does one value one entity over the other? And how does one's reactions to each clone impact one's own sense of identity? All very intriguing dilemmas. However this production's cast and director fail to do anything with this text to make these questions any more than simple afterthoughts. The naturalistic dialogue is delivered in a stilted passionless manner which makes one suspect the actors are too absorbed in waiting for the other's cue. There is no urgency in the delivery where it is plainly evident that urgency is required. There is far too much unmotivated blocking- Gyngell's character preludes each of his larger speeches by getting up out of his chair and doing a lap of honour around the table. There is absolutely no rapport between the two actors, regardless of which "clone" is facing the father. This lack of any form of connection made this a frustrating viewing experience as I simply did not believe what either of them was saying. At one point the father claims "I miss him so much." I turned to my fellow patron and said "Then *show* it, for God's sake". This is the second production of Melissa Cantwell's direction I have seen- the first being last year's equally exasperating "Blackbird"- and I found myself ticking off the same problems in this show. If the director has to rely on the tech elements to provide the atmosphere (instead of enhancing it) then something is wildly amiss. Too much reliance is placed on moody lighting (which was often inept) and ominous soundscapes to provide the tension the actors should be giving us. All in all this was a prime example of how not to produce a two-hand drama. I for one expect better from a professional Government-subsidised theatre company. A terrific disappointment. Eliot McCann