Date Reviewed: 31st January, 2009
Venue: Library Theatre

Middle-aged couple Mark and Lily Davis (Terry Naylor and Ruth Evans) lost touch with their son Paul (Nick Moss) years ago. In trying to find him they discover not only that they have a grandson, Paul Junior (Peter Ash) but also that history has repeated itself and he is estranged from his father.

Ways to Look at Fish is the first full-length play by Colette Kane. It examines the need to deal with the consequences of actions and beliefs and to forgive and accept forgiveness. Kane manages to tackle these themes with dialogue that is natural and entertaining rather than profound or self-consciously witty.

Despite a series of coincidences that bring the characters together, the story flows well with subtle clues that lead to a final act revelation that is surprising and, as importantly, very credible. It is a shame that, having achieved this satisfying result, Kane slips into increasingly strained dialogue to force the play to its climax.

The direction by Nick Moss helps achieve the natural atmosphere of the play with speeches convincingly over-lapping when appropriate. But, neither he or the cast seem comfortable with movement and, although they speak the lines well, sometimes do so whilst standing almost at attention.

It is interesting to watch the actors use their characters to tackle the themes of the play. Davis delivers a trembling, twitching performance to show how guilt and apprehension have eaten away at Ruth. Terry Naylor on the other hand plays Mark with a stillness that suggests he has achieved a sense of peace as a result of trying to put right past mistakes. Nick Moss allows Paul Senior’s nervy aggression to melt into a sort of hope. Peter Ash shows the pleasure of discovering unexpected relatives and the hurt and anger of meeting one he had hoped was lost.

With the help of this promising cast, writer Colette Kane comes very close to achieving the high ambitions of Ways to Look at Fish - a promising production.

-Dave Cunningham

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 31st, 2009 at 9:47 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.