Clockwatching

Clockwatching is described as a “black comedy”, and the terrain it covers is definitely dark, indeed murky. It probes the pain and petty cruelty that families inflict upon one another on a day-to-day basis, here framed by marriage, infidelity and death. The word “comedy” may initially seem an odd term for such subjects and, indeed, this is undeniably the comedy of painful recognition, of unpalatable home truths difficult to acknowledge privately but generating a sense of collective catharsis when publicly shared.

The world Torben Betts paints so vividly is that of domestic disharmony, families going through the motions of ritualised celebration whilst unravelling at the seams. Set in the north of England, the play revolves around Keith, an old man and armchair despot whose world crumbles when his wife falls ill and the familiar parameters of his cosy life become redundant.

Beginning one New Year’s Eve, the action takes place over the course of a year, chronicling the hopes and frustrations of Keith’s dysfunctional family. Anna is married to Duncan and they have a son with debilitating behavioural problems. Eternally short of money and desperate to inject his life with some sense of meaning that will free him from the monotonous “clockwatching” of the title, Duncan is all too susceptible to temptation. But he’s not the only one seeking purpose; everyone in this play seems stranded, cast adrift without an emotional lifebelt for support. There are moments of connection, of illusory harmony, but they’re brief.

An excellent cast, capably directed by the Orange Tree’s Sam Walters, present an engrossing and often poignant glimpse into the way families can unexpectedly implode. Pip Leckenby‘s gloomily realistic set conjures the rather desolate, sterile milieu that these characters inhabit – our first glimpse of Keith’s chaotic world conveyed by the debris liberally strewn about his sitting room, as he sits fixated by the television but oblivious to all else. It’s a potent symbol of the way real communication has been abandoned in favour of spurious “entertainment” that only serves to isolate individuals.

Betts has a keen ear for dialogue and a perceptive understanding of human nature. Though occasionally shaky and undeniably uncomfortable, his vision is persuasively realised with an indispensable comic edge leavening the sadness.

Amanda Hodges

Clockwatching is a co-production between Stephen Joseph Theatre and the Orange Tree. It continues at the Orange Tree until 5 May and then plays at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough from 11 May to 11 July 2001.