Under My Skin (Salford)

The consequences of guilt-free crime literally haunt Will (Adam Davies) and Jimmy (Andrew Sykes) in Rob Johnston’s new play.

Davies and Sykes make a good comic double act – the one a bargain basement psychopath and the other an ineffective ‘decent’ man. Ruth Piggott though, is stuck with a very underwritten role. Peter Carruthers excels bringing a naturalistic air to the extreme material that makes it even funnier. Johnston writes good dialogue and the whole case deliver it well.

Ruth Piggott directs with imagination and the surprise elements all work well. The violence disturbingly spills off-stage into the aisles making the audience unwilling witnesses.
 
Unfortunately writer Johnston lets the side down as his script feels more like a work in progress than a finished product and a number of interesting ideas, and the characters themselves, are not developed. The promised modern morality play becomes a broad black comedy. The wider cost for the community of individuals choosing to satisfy their selfish desires are not explored and the ending is very weak.
 
Under My Skin is worth seeing for the work of the cast but you can’t help but feel that it should have been so much better.
 
– Dave Cunningham