Progress

The story centres on Will and Ronee who, after being in a relationship for ten years (married for six), are searching for a way to keep their love alive. Ronee, at the insistence of Will, has taken on a lesbian lover who, though we never see her, is a persistent presence throughout the play and has forced Will out of bed and onto the couch.

Adding pressure to this already strained relationship is ever-offensive lodger Mark and new addition Ange, who’s come to stay after fleeing her abusive husband. And on top of all this is Will’s over-sexed men’s discussion group who bring their own host of complications to Will and Ronee’s living room, where both acts of the play take place.

Victoria Strachan delivers a sarcastic but infinitely likeable Ronee, particularly in her final empassioned scene, while Richard Crawley does well to present a Will whose constant frustation is not overt but ever-present, bubbling beneath the surface. Meanwhile most of the big laughs come courtesy of Shaun Stone’s dead pan, stuttering character Bruce as well as from Lawrence Sheldon who plays the offensive housemate Mark with tangible glee.

Stephen Glover’s direction ensures that the piece is well paced throughout while Emma Pile and Abigail Pilkington-Wood (set and costume designer respectively) deserve praise for an atmospheric and consistent evocation of the early-80s period (particularly some of its more gruesome fashion trends). Silver Thread Productions as a whole should be thanked for reviving a play which proves that Lucie’s writing is still as powerful, scathing, funny and relevant today. Highly recommended.