Eventide (Arcola)

Misery is not an endearing quality. John, Mark and Liz – the three lonely characters in Barney Norris‘s drama Eventide – are all acutely aware of this.
Bravely they each struggle to deal with individual misfortunes, but as their disintegrating lives intertwine in subtle and sometimes unexpected ways, they try to help each other adapt and cope, with varying degrees of success.

Sensitively directed by Alice Hamilton, all three deliver strong performances. James Doherty is on great form as ebullient landlord John, who can no longer maintain the stream of dirty jokes and relentless good humour that has been his stock-in-trade for so many years. It takes a little while for him to warm up and relax into the role, but John’s shifts of mood are handled by Doherty with a mix of vigour and subtlety, and his relationship with Mark is especially effective. Their closing scenes, as one man moves on while another looks back, are among the strongest in the play.

Hasan Dixon gives Mark the builder a very attractive diffidence, as he faces the cruel facts about a lost love that never really was. In perhaps the most challenging role of the three, Dixon gives a naturalistic and pared-down performance that captures the essence of this kindly but embittered young man.

And lonely Liz, the organist who has to drive two hours to find a church prepared to let her perform, is played with a mischievous, delightful fire by Ellie Piercy. Her saucy asides and clumsy comments land her in so much deep water that she appears to be a rather mature ingénue. Yet her own past contains much more than just loneliness, and John bungles his opportunity to create a new future by bringing his pub-landlord persona into his courting.

James Perkins‘ sharp design takes us very convincingly into the back garden of a country pub with its decking and piles of logs, and there’s also effective sound design from George Dennis.

Up In Arms theatre company sets out to create plays that are ‘honest, human, affecting and revealing.’ With Eventide, Barney Norris has fulfilled the brief, but while his characters are all painted with intimacy and tenderness, this microcosm of human struggles is not an entirely satisfying drama. No one gets what they really wanted, Liz drifts away altogether, and we’re left wondering which, if any, of the three is going to bounce back. That uncertainty may reflect the reality of life’s vagaries, but it leaves a curious emptiness.

Eventide runs at the Arcola until 17 October and then on tour until 14 November.