GamePlan is a tricky play. A complex blend of outright bizarre
humour and genuinely provocative drama, the play can throw an audience into an
uncomfortable ride of emotions; a ride which needs to be carefully measured and
paced in order to be effective. At times during Alex Baldry’s production of
GamePlan, this was perfect, but occasionally this crucial element lapsed and
the audience were thrown into an unintentional feeling of unease.
Alan Ayckbourn’s play relays the financial struggles of the Saxon
family, comprising of Sorrel (Sophie Mann) and her mother, Lynette (Flora
Ogilvy). In the midst of having a runaway husband and losing her job, Lynette
struggles with a smoking problem, exacerbated by the tumultuous relationship
she has with her daughter and with her daughter’s dimwitted but well
intentioned friend, Kelly (Maria Terry). When the situation becomes dire and
Lynette threatens to move the family out of London, Sorrel hatches a plan to
make a quick buck, but this plan unfortunately involves her selling her body.
At the core of this play is the dynamic of family life. Flora Ogilvy
seems to be in her prime when playing an older woman, and pulls of forty two
year old Lynette with a finesse and subtlety that leads you never to doubt the
fact that she is Sorrel’s mother. That said, she truly shines in moments of
heated dispute and tension, and a scene which has her sat beside her daughter
on the sofa in silence, angrily puffing away at a cigarette following yet
another domestic, is one of the most touching and beautiful in the play.
Much too should be said of the relationship between Sorrel and
Kelly, which at every moment seemed entirely genuine and showed something of the bond the cast must
have achieved when working on this production. Maria Terry’s performance as
Kelly acts as the comedic core of the play, and nearly every one of her lines
had me in stitches. Terry managed a perfect blend of humility and comic timing
in her role, something that is very difficult to achieve, and her performance
stood out because of this. Also impressive were the comedic bit-parts in the
form of the chillingly disturbing yet hilarious client, Leo (James Dixon) and
the appearance of a ridiculous police duo (Gabrielle James and Stevie Jeram),
whose presence added a note of sinister hilarity with Jeram’s tempestuous
changes of moods and James’s impressive spiel of biblical quotations.
And the play on a whole followed a similar theme. The moments of
comedy (a scene at the end of the first act where Sorrel meets her first ‘client’
is truly hilarious) are what shine in the play, albeit at the sacrifice of the
more dramatic moments of the play. The pacing of the comedy is almost
pitch-perfect but is at odds with the scenes that bookend it. Rapturous farce
is almost immediately turned into sincere drama and this transition doesn’t
work as the audience aren’t given time to adjust. Nor are the actors, who move
into scenes of emotion still smiling and reeling from the explosion of comedy
just before. This put Sophie Mann as Sorrel into a difficult position of
keeping the play on course, a job which she attempted admirably but failed to
pull off. Despite this, her portrayal of a sixteen year old girl in turmoil was
accurate and, at times, touching.
The confusing blend of drama and comedy was not aided by what
appeared to be at times bizarre music choices. When entering the Barn, the
audience were treated to the Spice Girls blaring out over a perfectly recreated
apartment (once again showing the versatility of that little black space!)
complete with Lino floor tiles and a kitchen. In moments like this, music
served to create a 90s sort of feel to the production, aided by the use of
carefully selected props from the era. But at times it intruded and jarred the
lines between comedy and drama further, such as the use of a well known ‘Steps’
song to accompany a, well, tragedy.
Although confused about what it is, GamePlan is still an impressive
piece of theatre and the scenes of comedy are truly brilliant and will have you
laughing long after you’ve left the barn. If not for this alone, it is
absolutely worth a visit.
You can listen to Joseph's review by visiting the URY Player
