Letting in Air

Letting
in Air explores family relationships and the meaning of home. After
the suicide of his mother Adam returns home to Manchester with his girlfriend
and attempts to form some sort of a bond with his father, Frank. When Frank
befriends a teenager, Amy, whom he meets in the street, Adam is both suspicious
and jealous. As Frank and Amy become closer, Frank reveals a secret which is to
change all their lives. Despite the underlying conflicts, humour is used
excellently throughout which makes the few moments of violence all the more
brutal.

Rebecca
Elliot’s Amy is a hyperactive and troubled teenager with a singular way of
seeing the world. But it is her childlike questioning and honesty which coaxes
Frank into confronting the past. The chemistry between Amy and Frank (a
superbly reserved Edmund Kente) sparkles from the outset.

It would
be easy to let Amy and Frank’s relationship dominate, but director Adam Quayle
avoids this by ensuring a strong performance from the other two actors. Ryan
Hawley’s Adam manages a mixture of misogyny and vulnerability. Tessa Mabbitt
gives an understated and convincing performance as Olivia, Adam’s Guardian-reading
girlfriend whose attempts to resolve conflict are doomed to failure.

Charlie Cridlan’s set consists of little more than a chair, two bookshelves and a pile of
boxes. There is no need for anything else and the simplicity adds to the
production. More obvious differentiation between Frank’s house and Adam and
Olivia’s flat would have be useful, but sound effects and well directed
behaviour prevent this from being too confusing.

The final scene
of Letting in Air shows for the first time a flicker of the
new beginning that they all crave. The abrupt ending is the weakest moment in an
otherwise smooth and powerful production. There is a sense that Prestwich
was not ready to let go of her creations, and you can see why. As the house lights go up it is a hardened audience member who does not regret parting with them as
well.

– Joanna
Ing