Strong performances illuminate study of love and loss
A girl arrives on a quay looking for the man that loved her mother 15 years ago and never stopped waiting. Her mother is dead and she is there to tell him that he is her father. Intriguingly, she is accompanied by a recently befriended and much older ex-soldier, who aggressively protects her welfare.
What unfolds is a resonant, melancholic exploration of love and grief, that shines not so much in the twists of the plot itself – this is not about ‘what happens next’ – but rather in the details of the characters’ interaction. Artful, intuitive performances convey the nuances of angst and affection with genuine depth and manage to pick out the sentiment behind dialogue that, at times, might otherwise seem rather obscure.
Finely tuned without becoming stilted, this production by Real Circumstance is a touching and sincere portrait of emotional landscapes and the shifting, complex identities of girl and woman, father and daughter, friend and lover. Fully-realised characters provide insight into a narrative that could have floundered in less skilled hands and deliver to the stage a polished, streamlined piece of theatre.
Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 1pm, £8.50–£10 (£7–£9).