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Review: Frozen

April 10, 2008

Frozen
Venue: The Library Theatre
Date Reviewed: 10th April, 2008

star

Byrony Lavery’s Frozen remains as edgy and controversial as it did in 1998 at the Birmingham Rep. The Library deserve all the praise they will undoubtably receive for staging such a fine version, as opposed to playing it safe with another Noel Coward, Arthur Miller or Shakespeare production.

Lavery’s narrative links three characters via one hideous crime. A 10-year-old girl goes missing and Agnetha, an American academic is researching her thesis: Serial Killing- A forgivable act. Nancy is the girl’s mother, who is almost paralysed mentally by grief. Ralph is the loner; not unlikeable, until you find out he took the missing girl, Rhona and has killed her.

This compelling piece of work is given real light and shade thanks to some under-the-skin performances and the skilled direction of Roger Haines. Joanna Bacon gives a performance that is both, heart wrenching and hilarious, echoing the roller-coaster ride of emotions that her grief-stricken character goes through, over the years. You cannot take your eyes of this gifted actress, as she imbues the role with such vulnerability, that you really feel Nancy’s pain.

John Killoran manages to make you laugh and evoke sympathy for Ralph, which is no easy task, as he has to utter lines like: “The only thing I feel sorry for is that it’s not legal” - referring the murder of young girls. But again, this talented actor does not portray the killer in a stereotypical fashion. By the end of the play, you know the man, way beyond his crimes.

Mia Soteriou is also great, bringing lots of humour to the role of Agnetha, the troubled Academic, who is scared of flying far more than meeting a murderer face-to-face. She provides the backbone to the main nature/nurture debate that frames the narrative.

There are some fantasic scenes in this excellent play which chill to the bone as the title says it will. But there is also much to laugh at, thanks to Lavery’s sparkling script. At times, you feel the writer wants her cake and eat it by the time of the denouement. But the cracking script and fully rounded characters enable you to ride out the muddled scene.

The terrific trio of actors keep you gripped to your seat with their fully rounded turns, as you they take you on a journey, tainted by grief. The best plays are the ones which leave you wanting to debate the themes on the way home. Frozen gives plenty of issues to get your grey-matter working overtime.

But, this is not a patronsing Psychology lesson of a play, it is a riveting study of human nature and whether we have the ability to forgive and forget, however bruised our heart may be, in order to save ourselves.

Don’t miss this!

-Glenn Meads

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