Reviews: Damages
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| Andrew Nash, Emma Williams and Jim Markey in Damages |
Having read the script, I had a strong picture in my head of the set and characters before I arrived at the Little Theatre on 23rd June. The set perfectly served the production and lived up to expectations although I was a little concerned before "curtain up" that I could see the audience reflected in the upstage window. However, the lighting overcame this - and I loved the view!
The opening music set the scene perfectly and the real time clock helped the pace, as the newspaper deadline dictated the time. The clock could have been a gimmick but in fact was an essential element, enhancing the action, never diverting from it.
In the celebrity culture we live in, all is not always as it seems and a great deal of research had gone into the complicated pitfalls of libel and litigation for newspapers and how celebrities are caught out or use the media to their own advantage.
As we were led through the possible reasons for the newspaper's receipt of a compromising photograph of a children's TV presenter, the script could have been rushed. However by gradually revealing the relationships between the characters and how the implications of those relationships influenced the decision of whether to publish the photograph, the play developed through highs and lows whilst still moving at pace towards the deadline.
Barry Lee's confident and slick direction kept that pace up while never rushing. There were some lovely moments; an ornamental elephant being first subtly moved out of place on its shelf by Lister and then just as subtly moved back by Howard later. The squeaky chair and reaction to it was delicious. Moments of comedy I had not picked up from reading the script were given life by the actor's superb delivery.
Howard, played by Jim Markey had been a successful foreign affairs journalist but was seemingly cruising to retirement with a glass of wine within reach. However, in his office oasis of calm, he was still respected for his knowledge, his sharp eye saving the newspaper from countless complaints and damages claims. Jim took on the mantle of a much older man, tired and a little sad but still with a spark of genius when it mattered. The sadness of his wife leaving him was nicely underplayed and his comedy timing was masterful. I felt sorry for Jim in his thick jacket as the audience sweltered in the heat wave, but it perfectly reflected his character.
Assistant Editor Lister was a journalist of the old school: it doesn't matter whom gets hurt as long as you get the story. Andy Kirtly played the arrogant, hard-headed newspaper-man on a personal crusade to perfection. His resentment of the young, university educated night editor leads him to recount a mistake he made when starting out and to revel in the almost certain failure of the young "numpty" to make the right decision on his first big story. Although I would have liked a little less profile, especially when Lister was pontificating about his working class roots, Andy played "angry" very convincingly and with his comedic timing, we didn't quite hate him even when he went home to leave Bas to his fate.
The youngest ever Night Editor Bas is intelligent and hungry for success but he is also naive and "wet behind the ears". The decision he makes tonight will influence his whole career. Howard and Abigail try valiantly to help him reach the right decision but when we discover he has personal involvement with the TV presenter, we realise that Lister may be right after all - Bas is in the wrong job. I felt this character should have been more "public school", sophisticated and self assured in his abilities. His revelation about his faux pas with the presenter and his weakness and ineptitude would then have been all the more dramatic. At the beginning of Act Two, I was uncomfortable with the actor being placed in front of the stage right desk, in conversation with Abi. He was too long looking out with no business and appeared to make eye contact with the audience. Perhaps if he had perched on the edge of the desk and examined his shoes with arms crossed, run his fingers through his hair, checked his watch etc, it would have looked more natural. A Hugh Grant type hairstyle may have helped too! However, Andy Nash certainly conveyed Bas's disappointment in his failed relationship with Abigail and showed us his heart. His desperation as the deadline approached was palpable and very believable.
Into this melee of male ego's enters the ice cold night lawyer, Abigail. She and Bas had been lovers, on the verge of moving in together but he eventually confesses he could not go through with it because of her calculating lawyer's mind - she had bought two sofas so they could have one each if they split because it was "practical". Abi is one smart cookie and knows her stuff and Emma Williams gave a sterling performance, delivering some wonderfully biting wit with superbly timed impact. She portrayed a smooth, steely, clever woman who is happy to work for the highest bidder without remorse. It could have been easy to dislike Abi but she was able to make us believe that although emotionally misguided, she had strong principals and loyalty. Abigail is able to use her knowledge and observation to calculate the prudence of publishing the photo or not. The fact that she knows the presenter as a friend and then discovers Bas's involvement with her, presents further dilemmas. The final piece in the jigsaw is revealed when a seemingly unrelated news story about a rape involving two teenage boys is found to be crucial to the decision making process as one of the boys is the presenters son. She may be trying to protect him by perhaps ruining her own reputation.
This was a ripping yarn, cleverly written with twists and turns to take our breath away. Cool direction, perfect set and lighting with music to enhance and suitable costumes took us to the very heart of the harsh world of celebrity and media scruples.
I thank CoPS for inviting me. I have not been for some time and had forgotten the buzz around the theatre and was pleased to see many old friends. Damages was a thoroughly enjoyable production and I am heartened to know that such high quality work is being performed with such excellence, as so many companies are struggling to cast and sell good drama. I wish you continued success.
Cheryl Nicholson has been acting in Hertfordshire for the last 25 years and taken lead roles in drama, comedy, farce and musicals and appeared in Festival award winners such as "Stepping Out", "Steel Magnolias" and "Lady of Letters". She came to directing over 10 years ago after assisting a college class of disaffected teenagers to write and perform their own version of "Romeo and Juliet" set in an Essex new town. She has since directed adults and children in drama, pantomime, comedy and musicals, winning a Hertford Theatre Week award for her production of "Cold Comfort Farm".
Photograph: Steve Beeston