Outside shares the journey of three friends as they navigate their last night of the curfew – something we come to believe was put in place following a series of terrorist attacks sending the country into panic. Charlie, Eddie and Rosie gather in a poky flat to count down the last hour until the curfew ends and celebrate gaining their freedom back.
We watch the characters unravel after a year of pent-up emotion and aggression from not being able to live a full life and leave their homes in the evening. There’s a clever use of a radio to introduce to the cause of the curfew, although I found myself wanting to see more of how the outside world has affected these characters for the past year. We get a great sense of the dynamic of their friendships, with a good witty rhythm to their dialogue. Light humour is used skilfully to bring lightness to the darker areas of this play, although, it’s a pity that it is lost in the second half where the intensity of the conversations would welcome a lighter interruption. Over the course of the hour we witness the breakdown of a relationship and the steady decline of each character. The individual character arch's are carefully crafted and complex in their delivery.
There were certainly a lot of interesting ideas in this production – what would happen if we had a series of uncontrollable terrorist attacks? When does masculinity become toxic? What happens when we feel like we’re not in control of our lives? – but I am left wondering whether there are too many ideas at play here. There are a number of side-note stories that feel too much of a side-step to the main storylines to justify that much space in the dialogue. It was, however, thought-provoking, and I’m left wanting to know more about how the characters came to be the way they are. With three impressive performances, especially from the actor who plays dominating boyfriend Charlie, this was a play with a lot of potential.
An intriguing performance brought to you by a talented writing and acting team. Definitely, ones to watch.
Clay Party, supported by Pleasance Futures
Pleasance Courtyard @15:30
Find out more and get tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/outside
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