Four seminarians are embroiled in a complicated love quartet. It’s a thwarted romantic endeavour, with love only half-heartedly returned. A polished performance, and some real depth and emotion.
There was understandably artistic licence employed here – the ‘seminarians’ were in full clerical garb, and living in a communal flat rather than a seminary. But we got the point. And the simple set, with the action centred around the green settee was focused, honed … and it worked.
It was both comical – though a little bit grating – how the upper-class English accent pervaded throughout. But it added all the more to the multifaceted vortex that the characters had fallen into – Matilda sought after by both Jeffrey and Philip, Philip and Jeffrey having a simultaneous affair, and Celste not quite knowing where she was at all; the silliness – but ultimately the humanity – were themes all well-written and interwoven.
The four leads were clearly cast as complicated souls – I will remember how Jeffrey’s character reminded me so much of Tom Hollander from ‘Rev’ – a magnificent performance! And there were many other moments of exceptional execution – not least in Matilda’s (Daisy Lillingston) effortless extended scenes in driving the plot forward.
The drawn-out ending was a bit of an anti-climax – as engaging as it was, it left us finishing in exactly the same place as where we started, with the characters resuming in their old routines and ruts. Maybe on one level this might be a metaphor for the life’s undulating and sometimes cyclical journey, though (here) the crescendo belied the outcome.
A sell-out audience for the final night – and well-deserved. There was something in this show for everyone – it contained both comedy and farce, embracing traditional theatre and exploring real gut feelings with sensitivity. The balance may not always have been there – some scenes seemed to drag a little, while others left us waiting for more. Despite the occasional unevenness, you would hope that this play – and its gifted performers – will flourish further into the future.
The show finished at 10.35pm