This debut play by Sam Macgregor is based on his real-life experiences working for the NHS 111 Call Centre to highlight the conflict between the system's focus on efficiency, productivity and the increasing failure to offer vital healthcare.
In the dark windowless Bunker 2 at the Pleasance, Gary sits at his desk as the phone rings constantly, each one answered with the same questions, name and postcode. Recordings of anxious callers illustrate the endless enquiries and symptoms, ‘a pain in the mouth,’ or ‘bitten by a dog/ snake.’
In a dramatised scene, Gary takes a call from Tim, who is desperate to get help for his father Ronald, an elderly diabetic man. ‘I am not a doctor’ Gary emphasises, promising to pass on the call to the medical team. Tim and Gary are each spot lit in their own separate space adding to the sense of isolation at each end of the phone line.
Unable to contact his manager, Gary becomes more agitated and as more calls come in, he feels as if he’s working in a "pressure cooker." Tim calls back, panic in his voice as his father’s condition escalates into a critical emergency, it’s Gary who is then confronted and questioned by Lee, his manager. As Call handler, he has to deal with the consequences, trapped in a conflict between management targets and the actual personal, often urgent, medical attention, which seems to be left out of the equation.
Another call is a life and death situation as Gary tries to calm down David who has suicidal thoughts at a railway station and the immediate need for human empathy and compassion kicks in.
In a sudden shift from the serious reality of medical crisis, Sam Macgregor and Gabi Chanova, switch roles between Gary and Lee with an exaggerated, absurd style of buffoonery. In a choreographic duet, they become entangled in a muddle of criss- crossing red telephone cords as a comical mockery of their work, to criticise the flaws and ethics of NHS bureaucratic management.
Then we are treated to a rather bizarre re-enactment of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ when trivialises a caller ringing NHS 111, in which Gary plays the presenter in Tarrant/Clarkson manner, in a Marilyn Monroe blonde wig.
‘The bouffon speaks for the excluded, the marginalized giving voice to the invisible members of society. The performance emphasizes direct engagement with the audience to confront them with uncomfortable social issues’.
‘End of the Line’ certainly illustrates the crushing reality of the NHS in crisis. However, the relentless calls, repetition of questions, with very little action all becomes a tad tiresome and confusing. The attempt to inject humour to the dramatic narrative as a satirical critique misses the target amidst the overacted, clownish game playing.
Showtimes: 30th July – 25th August (not 18th August) @ 16.25
Tickets: £13 (£11).
Age guidance: 12+