Monday 28 April 2014

Neighbourhood Watch

The set is stark (as one reviewer put it, there's not much to distract the eye) and the flashbacks are disconcerting at times.   MTC's Neighbourhood Watch is basically about two very different women dealing with aspects of their respective pasts and involves a mixture of humour and confrontation. Apparently, the play was written with Robyn Nevin in mind and she certainly carries it well.  In fact, the entire cast was good (a few quick changes, too), save that Bella, the dog, didn't put in an appearance even though she's pictured in the publicity (we only heard her).


I guess the issue for me is that "confronting demons" just isn't my scene.  So, it's issue of "it's me, not the performance", with the result that I was left a little cool by the play.

Edit - In thinking a little more about the play's lack of appeal, I guess the issue is that most of the play is taken up in identifying just what the "demons" are.   They gradually emerge, bit by bit.  Once the issues have been identified, there's not much more that can occur, and the outcomes were, perhaps, inevitable. 

1 comment:

  1. Yes, written for Robin Nevin & maybe no-one else oul have pulled it off as successfully. However the ending was a bit of a let-down. The MTC didnt have to spend much on the set! WR

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