Out of Joint is one of Britain's most established National and International touring theatre
companies, predictably staging good quality, interesting productions. Working in collaboration with the Bush Theatre, Flight Path by David Watson, is their latest venture.
The play revolves around a year in the life of 18 year old Jonathan - a life beset with problems.
Pressure to achieve in his exams; pressure to cope with his parents separation; the temptations of drug dealing; being coerced into crime by his best friend Joe and last, but not least, having to cope and care for his brother Danny who has Down's syndrome.
The dialogue was well written and laced at times with great humour. David Watson has himself worked as a carer and the interaction between Jonathan and Danny was particularly moving.
The acting was good. Carl Crankson, as Jonathan, successfully portrayed the angst of adolescence when embued with responsibility. Scott Swadkins, in his first professional acting role as Danny, captured the poignancy and frustration of dependency. Will Knightly as Sean the father and Mossie Smith as Susan the mother effectively demonstrated the antagonism involved in separation. Ashley Madekwe as Lauren, the girlfriend, brought a refreshing innocence to the role. And Jason Maza, as Joe was first-rate as the edgy, deviant youth.
The Director Naomi Jones' pace matched the turbulence of the piece, particularly in Jonathan's
life. And Polly Sullivan's design was good. Working with a minimalistic set, numerous imaginative scene changes were made by the actors.
There were several incidents in the play that created effective dramatic moments, however, the story itself lacked drama. And lasting for an hour and forty-five minutes, without an interval, there were times when it could have benefited from a certain amount of editing.
Show Times: 7 November-10 November, 7.30pm; Matinee, Sat 10 Nov:2.30pm