After a deadly fire at a local council building Al sees a mother and daughter, Gemma and Ariel, stranded and invites them to stay with him and his wife, Louise, while they get themselves sorted. This is much to the chagrin of Louise who misses no opportunity to ensure the guests feel unwelcome and like the intruders she sees them as. The cracks in Al and Louise’s marriage are shown immediately and Gemma attempts to use this to her own advantage. The fractious relationships of the four characters quickly come to a head as hidden stories and individual wants bubble to the surface.
“Fault Lines” is a psychological drama with hints of information slowly added throughout the show. It’s a clever, flawless script allowing stories to slowly unfold and characters to develop, with convincing and witty dialogue. The story grips you from the start as you slowly piece together the clues you’re given. You begin to wonder who is manipulating who, especially the writer (Cameron Corcoran who also stars as Al) manipulating and changing your feelings about each of these characters.
The production has an outstanding cast. Cameron Corcoran’s Al, while seemingly kind, always seems to be hiding something. Louise’s snide remarks and cruelty are expertly conveyed, but it’s clear from the start Polly Waldron understands the characters vulnerability that the audience are yet to see. Aoife Boyle is excellent as Gemma, the stranger who tries to manipulate the problems in her hosts marriage to her own advantage. And her daughter is played convincingly by Juliette Finn, capturing the feelings of a scared 13-year-old longing to be saved.
The cast script and direction come together to create an absolutely compelling drama and proves you don’t need to go to the west end to see great theatre. It’s currently playing at the White Bear Theatre until September 18th and you can buy tickets here.
Rating: 4 Star
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