Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Writer: Noah McCreadie
Director: Noah McCreadie & Hannah McLeod
“Dark & Dysfunctional“
3.5 / 5
A dysfunctional family re-unite for a weekend together by the Coast, all plagued by their own demons and desperate for a brief escape. But they can’t avoid their problems no matter how much they try, especially within the confines of their small home filled with brimming, bubbling tension.
Writer Noah McCreadie clearly has a talent when it comes to crafting thrilling tales and intriguing storylines. In Getaway / Runaway he combines a multitude of issues, each one intensely serious in nature and more shocking than the last as the performance continues. Mark (Chris Moore) is the estranged, alcoholic father, recently released from prison and attempting a new start away from his bipolar ex-wife and mother of his children. He has begun a relationship with his sponsor Alice (Coline Atterbury), a sex addict who hasn’t quite yet bonded with Mark’s teenagers – Saoirse (Kiera Murray) and Eliot (Nye Occomore). Eliot and his ex-girlfriend are at crisis point after her accusations of sexual assault, and his future at college is now tentative. Although Saoirse tries to hold it all together, everyone and everything is quickly falling apart around her.
Each actor performs well within their roles, Nye Occomore and Coline Atterbury especially impactful as the dark, brooding teenager and the mysterious outsider. Although each cast member is clearly talented, their onstage chemistry feels slightly isolated, creating disconnected dynamics with both the characters and their storylines. It is unclear whether this disconnect has been purposefully done by directors Noah McCreadie & Hannah McLeod to create an additional layer of awkward tension between the foursome, or whether it’s because there hasn’t been enough development to each ambitious narrative thread to allow each personality to harmonise with each other. In addition to this, because there are so many varying plot points and narrative arcs, it does mean there are numerous unanswered questions throughout the show. There isn’t enough time in the short 60-minutes to fully flesh out the characters and their necessary backstories, meaning that each of their intricate storylines become an essence sprinkled at various points throughout, rather than being explored to their full, exciting potential.
Although billed as a twisted, dark comedy – there isn’t enough humour within the piece to label it as such. There are various mildly humorous lines scattered throughout, but it would do the show more justice to remain on the side of dramatic thriller, because it has this in abundance. The intense finale has the audience on the edge of their seats agape in shock, the original score and sound design by Johnny Edwards the perfect accompaniment throughout the show to build, maintain and shock the audience into suspense. It would be great if there was just a little more development with the script to allow the audience to fully engage with each character, as then the twists and reveals dotted throughout would have a much greater pay off.
The fluctuating intensity, alongside the dark themes and trigger warnings create the uncomfortable on-edge feeling required for a storyline such as this. While it would be great to have more detail, it’s still a really interesting watch. It’s intense and engaging, with a talented cast who don’t shy away from the complexities of their characters.
Runs Until 29 July 2023
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