Ordinary Dreams or How to Survive a Meltdown with Flair

Synopsis

Deepening recession, an uninspiring job, higher taxes, litter and antisocial neighbours (who happen to play great music). Stuck in the middle between the investment bankers at one end and the hoodies at the other, is it any wonder that worrying about the future can push you to the edge of reason? Ordinary Dreams is a dark comedy for our times - a story of middle class anxiety, electric wheelchairs and salvation. Penny and Miles are awaiting the imminent birth of their first child from completely different perspectives. Whilst recovering alcoholic Penny is the epitome of calm anticipation and deep breathing, her partner Miles is gradually retreating into a quagmire of fear and neurosis about the baby’s future. Armed only with a candlestick and a bold imagination he spends his days saving the world by creating a utopian fantasy for his son and everyone else to live in. As Miles starts to surround himself with a bizarre armoury of cast-offs from Ebay, Penny’s ex-alcoholic, ex-boyfriend, Dan, and his new-age karma-embracing girlfriend, Layla, are also on hand to offer their own unique blend of advice.

Our Review:

15 May 2009

Marcus Markou's blandly titled new play covers the well-worn ground of a 30-something 'meltdown'. Miles (James Lance) has just had his first child with wife Penny (Imogen Slaughter), a recovering alcoholic. But as his run-of-the-mill parental fears soon turn to paranoia on a paranormal scale, he finds himself losing the one thing he initially set out to protect.

As he sinks further into a state of impotent fury and extreme hypochondria, Miles dreams of being a David Cameron-esque Prime Ministerial candidate, indicating that Markou and director Adam Barnard are trying to draw a comparison between Miles' malaise and contemporary politics. But quite where the parallel lies is never made clear, and before we have time to think about it Miles has woken up, smelled the coffee, and decided he wants to be a good dad again.

Meanwhile, Penny gets increasingly close to Miles' refreshingly down-to-earth uni mate Dan (Adrian Bower) over coffee at their AA meetings, while Dan'...

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Latest User Review

Gareth James - 23 May 2009:

If this play had opened on the fringe it would have crept under the radar, got OK to good reviews and a few mumblings of ‘promising playwright’. Opening it in the West End, albeit in the tiny Trafalgar Studio I, with ‘people off the telly’ sets the bar higher and that’s partly why it disappoints. It’s topical, has some interesting ideas and good dialogue and it’s performed well, but it doesn’t really hang together. So many short scenes seem like the theatrical equivalent of sound bites and the production values (dreadful lighting in particular) don’t really help. ...

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