Compact Failure (tour)

Chelle is a lonely and naive soul when she enters prison. Her only friend is
the manipulating schemer, Maya. That is until she meets Ruthie, a streetwise
26-year-old who provides her with the ‘belly laughs’ that she has long left
behind. The two friends share many secrets and lies as they strive to
survive at Her Majesty’s Pleasure. Ruthie has to confront many ghosts from
her past and her new friendship allows her to grow and stop hiding.

Jennifer Farmer‘s writing is fresh, funny and full of surprises. The
narrative is fragmented and each scene leaves you wanting more. The
characters’ feelings of being trapped and waiting for the day when they can
leave prison to their very own ‘exit music’ are beautifully evoked. Chelle
chooses Enya’s “Orinocho Flow” after much deliberation, as she loves the
line “Sail Away, Sail Away.”

The three talented actressses deliver beautifully judged performances of
real depth and clarity. Claire-Louise Cordwell is a real find, she imbues
Ruthie with a defence mechanism that only fades when Chelle is in the room.
She also plays a prison pen pal and the switch – often within seconds – is
seamless. Lorna Gayle breathes life into Farmer’s wonderful writing with
grace and a flair for comedy. Sharlene Whyte‘s Maya is hateful but
with good reason, she misses her ‘babies’ and in some of her best scenes reads from the postcards she sends them to keep up the masquerade that she is travelling in exotic climes. Whyte displays Maya’s sense of longing wonderfully.

Sarah Esdaile‘s direction is very assured. She is no stranger to prison
dramas as she also directed the highly acclaimed Coyote On A Fence.
Her remarkable use of Ti Green‘s minimal but effective locker-style set
complete with hidden compartments is inspired. The only fault is the
length of many of the scenes. The writing is so rich that you are left
wanting something more fluid rather than swift costume changes every two
minutes as this holds up the narrative flow.

The dark tones of the piece are never depressing as there is much humour
gleaned from the saddest of situations. This wonderful play is also thought-provoking and very moving. Theatre Company Clean Break provide voices for forgotten sectors of society, they quash stereotypes by creating pieces that move audiences but never preach.

– Glenn Meads (reviewed at the Contact Theatre, Manchester)