The Whisky Taster

Synopsis

Barney and Nicola are advertising wonder kids. They win accounts with wit, charm and a secret weapon - Barney’s ability to feel, smell and taste colours, and to translate these sensations into words. Lately Barney has been finding things way too colourful and wishes his full throttle London life was more black and white, but Nicola is hell bent on winning accounts at all costs. When the two hire an old Scottish Whisky Taster to help them with a new campaign, his strange wisdom slows the Londoners to a stop, just as the deadline looms. A technicolour story about seeing things too clearly in a city that never stands still.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 27 January 2010

Here’s a rum do: a play about selling the sizzle in the drinks market in a cocktail glass of a transparent design with the eponymous taster turning up at the advertising agency in full Scottish fig: white beard, tartan kilt, knobbly knees, the lot.

The taster is played with glowering command by John Stahl, lately pinning together ensemble productions at the Globe and the RSC but here somewhat floundering to find a foothold.

He’s not alone. James Graham’s play, directed by James Grieve, newly appointed artistic director of Paines Plough, is signally impressive in this respect alone: it seems to amount to more or less nothing at all but is performed with the sort of conviction that convinces an audience it must have missed something.

The advertising whizz kids have called in the old man to help verify their campaign of making vodka taste like whisky. The satirical, not very original, point being that you can convince people of anything if...

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Latest User Review

ajh - 28 January 2010:

I thoroughly enjoyed this highly original and rather delightful play. The dialogue is well turned and frequently hilarious, and the whole production moves at a great pace. Special mention must be made of the lighting and sound designs: what can only be described as the Synaesthesia sequences are little short of exhilarating.In a strong cast, John Stahl, Jason Merrells and Chris Larkin are very funny and if Kate O'Flynn's Nicola seems a little hard-edged to be truly credible as the object of unrequited love, she redeems herself beautifully in the second half. The star however is unquestionably the wonderful Samuel Barnett, by turns hilarious and deeply affecting as the gifted, sensitive Barney. Another little gem at the Bush!...

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