Brewers Fayre is a melting pot of mixed metaphor, of social media, internet dating, marriage counselling, marathon running and health warnings. Is reality virtual or fake Are Ian, Christine and Anthony looking for each other or themselves?
In David Greig’s brilliantly inventive drama, we, the audience, are part of the quest. We get to read the part of "Elaine" but we could have been anyone, as Grieg’s script never assigns lines to individual characters, allowing each cast to create their version of the story.
Our involvement helps us identify with each actor as they try to "only connect" in Forster’s famous phrase.
Sandie Armstrong, director of Theatre Stramash, added images and soundscapes to produce a funny, poignant piece of acting by a strong cast: Tegen Hitchens, bolshy daughter, Rachel Heaton, uptight therapist, Dodger Philips, audience controller, Sandie Armstrong, sexy Mum and Miles Mlambo, running freak, were entirely real and their hopes and fears were all too familiar.
Combining the reality of modern computers with the staging of invented drama is a wonderful wheeze and I have no doubt that David Greig has launched not only a new play, but a new form of art.
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