A One Man Protest

Synopsis

Flighty free spirit Rowena Coombes leads her poor husband Miles a terrible dance. Everyone in the village knows about her carryings on. It s enough to give a man a serious crisis of confidence, to make him want to shut himself away somewhere and give up the unequal struggle. Perhaps though, on reflection, choosing to barricade yourself inside your best friend Toby Teasdale s garden shed wasn t the best choice of location but then, after all, this is an urgent cry for help. Unfortunately for Miles, his call is answered by not one but three very determined women. How long can he hope to hold out against that? Or against an even more drastic solution concocted by Toby and the devious Lionel Hepplewick?

Our Review:

Anne Morley-Priestman - 20 April 2013

Nobody does the dark and light nuances of human relationships quite as Ayckbourn manages it. Take A One Man Protest, the second of the quartet from the eight-play Intimate Exchanges sequence which has just joined the Mercury Theatre's repertoire. This highlights the disintegrating marriage of Miles and Rowena with Miles' colleague Toby, Toby's wife Celia, teenage home-help Sylvie and groundsman Lionel fluttering around its edges.

All six parts are played by two actors. Both Ruth Gibson and Gwynfor Jones have by now sifted themselves deep within their allotted trio of roles. Gibson reveals Rowena as a hippie free spirit whose teasing drifts into something more dangerous. Jones offers us a man who is on the surface a reasonable, caring human-being but who can (and does) tip over the edge when other people drive him to it.

Sylvie is another tease; Celia would – could – be one, but is too distracted by her own problems to offer...

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Latest User Review

Jim McMIllan - 25 April 2013:

The two actors performed well but this is not the best of Ayckbourn's work and there were very few laughs. ...

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