Perth Theatre, Perth, Scotland 12 - 13 July 2024
The British final moved to Scotland this year and The Perth Theatre was a fine location, with a receptive audience in place for both nights. It is testament to the depth of texts available that the four plays were all so different, running the full gamut from poetic tragedy to the all-out farce of total communication breakdown.
As in previous years two plays performed on the Friday night and two on the Saturday night and both nights comprised of sharply contrasting plays. On Saturday night, the first play was the Welsh entry via The Players Theatre from the Rhonda Valley, who performed ‘Albert’ written by Richard Harris over fifty years ago. This light soufflé focused on three broadly drawn characters, who had no shared language, one only speaking Finnish, one Italian and one English. The conceit of the play is that all dialogue heard by the audience is in English, yet the characters on stage heard languages that they could not understand, with much mirth in their shared mishearing. The acting in this piece was of a very high standard as was the case for all the entrants on the two nights.
The adjudicator, Dave Bennet, singled out one of the actors, Jonathan James, as providing a masterclass in comic acting and his acting was an excellent exemplar in the style of farce. He was a vivacious performer, always working physically and recording reactions with delicious facial expressions. The other two performers also provided excellent characters that contributed to a fine, funny entry.
So what play should follow this exuberant comedy? Why, a play about a serial killer of course. This was the Northern Ireland entry via Theatre 3 Newtownabbey, who performed Tony Domaille’s play ‘Even Numbers’. which won the Geoffrey Whitworth award for best new play in 2023. The contrast with the previous play could not have been sharper, the upbeat movement and dialogue of the former replaced with a series of interviews as the psychiatrist probed the dangerous cold blooded killer of multiple victims. The trickle of easy laughter was now replaced with moments of deathly tension, although not without some ironically dark humour. The situation had little visual impact and the setting was rather basic such that Dave questioned whether the approach to the play was better suited to a radio performance; this identifying a central challenge to develop the visual aspect within the creative process of producing this play. Nevertheless the cast brought some fine characterisation to the piece; the gradual reveal of the psychotic nature of the central character’s affliction was suitably engaging.
The day before had begun the British Final with Scotland’s entry, Largs Players performing Alan McHugh’s two hander ‘It’s behind you!’. This play could not have been further removed from last year’s entry from Scotland, the politically and emotionally charged epic piece, ‘The Beaches of St Vallery’, for this year we were faced with a two hander with a relationship focus. The stage had the aspect of a crucible; the two characters were revealed as a father and son, performing together as panto dame and the ‘silly boy’ archetype. This well constructed play gradually peeled away the layers of familial rivalry and latent emotion, but, crucially, it was very funny too. The two actors were extremely comfortable on stage and their interactions were often a delight; the tongue twister section was nothing short of magnificent. This performance piece was a tour de force with the two actors delivering moments, with pathos and belly laughs in equal measure.
This was the first play of the Final and the quality was such that it could appear to be unbeatable…..and then there was the English entry from TACT, ‘The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man’ which was written by Tom Wright. TACT won both last year and the year before; in recording the event for GoDA last year, I felt that the company had produced ‘a masterclass in fusion of design, direction and acting’. This remains the case in 2024. Imaginative set design filled the stage with memorable images and practical space, the costumes complemented character and status, while subtly nuanced music accompanied set changes. Production choices were clear, concise and contributed to both the dynamic shape of each scene and the narrative arc of the play. Finally, the acting ensemble was very strong, with excellent individual performances. This was another clear example of a company that is predicated on the creation of quality, which begins with the careful selection of a script, best suited to unlock the creative potential of this gifted team. At the Festival weekend they were undoubtedly the indisputable best production of the 2024 British final, fully deserving of the trophy….again.
What will happen next year, when the British Final returns to England? A visit to Litchfield on July 4 and 5, 2025 will provide the answer.
Alan M Hayes
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