TO WATCH A MAN EAT, SHAKESPEARE NORTH PLAYHOUSE, PRESCOT
★★★★★
“Pearson twists the narrative when it’s least expected…”
The Spirit of the Fringe is an elusive thing. Many companies and performers claim to have it in abundance, few come close. It’s a phrase that encapsulates the collective imagination, desire, talent, raw or otherwise, and indestructible optimism that generations of up and coming actors, writers, directors and producers have showcased in Edinburgh every August. This year, Full Frontal Theatre’s gripping, darkly funny and overtly sensuous Edinburgh Fringe debut, To Watch A Man Eat, does just that. It’s simply a beautifully crafted hour of theatre with a scintillating script, razor sharp direction and three engaging performances from a strong cast of three.
Fireman Micky loves trifle. Husband and wife Andrew and Melissa Davidson, meanwhile, may share a life together but each has very different dreams. They survive as a couple by enabling each others baser desires through a complex and mercenary power play of sex and deception. It’s a tale as brutal as it is at times hilarious, yet one that is always thought-provoking with a serious message at its heart.
George Usher’s convivial fire-fighter proves a likeable Lancashire narrator whose conversational approach makes the production a far more intimate affair that it may otherwise be. Micky is a cheeky, funny everyman, wise beyond his years. Usher is perfect in the role, providing the foundation around which social climbers Melissa and Andrew’s dysfunctional relationship is explored.
When it comes to Melissa, Lily Walker delivers a monstrous creation that is right up there with Abigail’s Party’s Beverley. Demanding, petulant and spoilt, she may not tower over George Lorimer’s Andrew physically, but her dominance is never in doubt, their partnership an all-encompassing mind-game in which both vie to fulfil differing wants.
Narcissistic, supercilious and downright conniving in turn, Walker enthrals as Melissa, while Lorimer runs a gamut of emotions with believable conviction as her long-suffering but equally self-obsessed spouse. Their shared chemistry is electric and exploited fully by co-directors Hen Ryan and Sadie Pearson who ensure the production zings along nicely and never pulls its punches.
Armed with Pearson’s insightful, intelligent script, which twists the narrative when it’s least expected, actors and creatives alike are on top form as the heart of the piece, a concise and heartfelt observation of male health, mental and otherwise, is revealed.
Staged simply in a black box setting, with minimal props, producers Full Frontal Theatre’s inventive story telling ensures that, in keeping with its title, To Watch A Man Eat, is indeed a delicious piece of must see theatre to be savoured.
Run ended
