The infant Samuel was neither seen nor heard but was very much part of the plot, being lost by his mum and dad in this slickly dark take on middle-class parenting.
Co-written and performed by Danny Charles and Mary Rose, the 50-minute two-hander examined a relationship at breaking point. James (Danny) pitches up an hour late at the playground where an invisible Samuel is playing in the sand-pit as Clare (Mary) taps resentfully away on her laptop. You know James is in the wrong for not letting Clare know he was behind schedule but can’t help feeling sorry for him as she uses his lateness as an excuse to launch into a vicious diatribe on his lack of skills and general uselessness.
This was a near-the-knuckle, white-knuckle ride as one big misunderstanding led to another and their partnership hurtled uncontrollably towards total meltdown. “I suggest you take some time out!” shrieked Clare at a bemused James. James, refusing to be chastised like a child, countered with, “So – what’s Samuel’s favourite food for breakfast?” inferring, horror of horrors, that Clare was less than a perfect parent.
Mary’s portrayal of neurotic, snooty university researcher Clare was well-judged and believable, while Danny’s intelligent James injected some much-needed lightness into the intense scenario. Meanwhile the bracing pace, dictated by Mary Swan’s tight direction, made for an entertaining canter through the dilemmas faced by parents the world over as they try in vain to keep their feelings for one another alive and everyone happy.
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