The Albatross 3rd & Main

Brighton-born Simon David Eden presented his directorial debut at the Emporium, which saw three men whiling away the hours in rural Massachusetts and then getting embroiled in a farce revolving around a dead bird. The writing (also Eden) was in an interesting mode of Aaron Sorkin-esue wit and repetition. It was also full of expressions (“Step up and take the wheel”, “Go down with the ship” and so on), to such an extent so as to almost sound bizarre, like a meta-play about dialogue.

The slow-build first act worked well to set up the characters, who were enjoyable archetypes and the acting was strong, particularly Geoff Aymer’s Lullaby. The second act leapt into a different gear and was more engrossing, a startling mood shift from one character was a good jolt, and there was a funny highlight when the gang nervously kept lookout for law enforcement. Overall it was a sharp, fun yarn that flew by in a strange blur.

Emporium, 9 February 2016
Rating:
Joe Fuller