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With one exception each play centres around a simple twist, a comic or tragic hinge that reveals an undercurrent of betrayal or deception. Carpets are swiped from under the feet of characters and audience alike, leaving an echoing paranoia, 'Who can you trust?' Each play cloaks this question in a different outfit; with political backstabbing, existential questioning and, of course, infidelity rearing its head a number of times.
Some of these pieces are more effective than others; Tat, in particular, brings the kind of depth and complexity to characters that is sacrificed in some of the other plays to the 'cleverness' of plot. There is an occasional tendency to melodramatic acting which suits the stylised political drama but is unconvincing in the scenario about helpline counsellors. The humour can be sharp and funny; in Ted and Ralph, one twitch of Phil Gerrard's facial expression and the audience is suddenly aware of the hidden agenda between these two characters. The problem is that this joke is the basis of the entire scenario, and is pursued until it becomes overplayed and stale.
Because this is theatre exploring trust and deception, it was fascinating to be in that strange situation where cast outnumbers audience. The commitment and energy of the cast never lapsed despite sound effects merging with the prolongued roars of Chelsea fans in the pub below. In fact, this intimacy added to the sense that the play could spill over into the pub, and the world, beyond. I wandered down the stairs to the pub in the interval to find Chelsea on their way out of the Champions' League, and the suicidal transsexual last seen wallowing amongst a mountain of pills out of her nighty and dressed in an intimidating Thatcheresque military suit. My confusion at her incongruously friendly smile was only abated when she emerged on stage after the interval as the ambitious, conspiring wife of a fascist dictator.
Conflicts of Interest
is an intelligent and interesting probing of intimate human themes;
six miniatures that reveal human vulnerability on a small scale. Perhaps
not as adrenalin-fuelled as the dramatic footballing saga with which
it competed but, at the risk of being blasphemous, equally entertaining.
(Top
of Page)
Ruth Sheldon
culturewars.org.uk,
May 2004
Rated 4 stars out of 5
I saw this production at the Hen and Chickens and was exceptionally impressed by its clarity and freshness ... Some of the plays - billed as the best of the year - are entertaining, one or two are moving ... Its greatest strength comes from the sensitive handling by a cast of very good performers - the real talent - and some imaginative staging. (Top of Page)
Rated 4 stars out of 5
2 "User Reviews"
Whatsonstage.com, 28 May 2002
You might wonder as to what is the use of one-act plays. But Hydrae Productions believes that they are useful both for new writers and for actors who have to present fully-rounded characterisations in the minimum of time.
Hydrae runs a competition for short plays, six of the best being staged here. The two winners both deal with the after-life - Bill Third's 'In the 7th Place... My Mum and Picasso' showing an encounter in an ante-room to Heaven between the painter and an Aberdeen woman.
The other, by Adrian Harrison, is 'The Sunday Papers', a piece set in a graveyard which focuses on a meeting between a young man and an older man. Whereas the first play is concerned with the difference between lifestyles and morality, the second is about the generation gap, with an amusing twist at the end.
That the short play can encompass deep emotion is demonstrated by Angela Lord's 'Holding On', about the loss of a child, and Kath Sayer's impressive 'Invisible', which is basically a monologue delivered by an Asian woman regretting that even in the 21st Century she is regarded as chattel rather than a wife.
The most ambitious of the plays was Chris Pitt's 'Shadows and Corners', a kind of prequel to Oliver Twist, showing how Fagin engineered the relationship between Bill Sikes and Nancy. A neat and initially puzzling piece, it has plenty of atmosphere.
'Afternoon', by Michael Ayers, has a message about the empowerment of women but really needs a longer time to develop.
A large and competent acting company has been assembled for this production, direction being entrusted mainly to members of Hydrae's board of management. (Top of Page)
Peter Hepple
The Stage, 7 June 2002
Billed as "men and women trying their best and doing their worst", the collections spans centuries and continents to explore the overarching theme of human relationships. Settings vary from the familiar to the surreal - from the UK of today, prohibition-era America, and turn-of-the-century Romania, to a park bench and a cage.
The wealth of imagination and new ideas on display is a credit to all those involved. The standard for each short is higher than many full-length plays, and reminds you of how quickly good theatre can build up strikingly different atmospheres and tensions.
Though it may sound overwhelming, the combination of so many styles and stories works well. The title piece, Drinking to Remember, employs all the stylistic tricks of the writer's own genre to tell the story of Raymond Chandler investigating another crime writer's downfall. The comic nun and father in Louise Monaghan's Impromptu Retreat get the most laughs of the night; while Kissing Through Veils and The Biscuit break up the realism of the night with their otherwordly visions.
This is Hydrae's sixth season, and they're currently taking submissions for the seventh. Anyone interested in new theatre should check out this session. With a combined running time of just over three hours, be prepared to be inspired, entertained, and glad of the Rosemary Branch's cushioned chairs". (Top of Page)
GILLIAN MURDOCH
Camden New Journal, 12 July 2001