WRECKAGE
5th Jan to 22nd Jan, 2022
Turbine Theatre
“‘I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you.’ Sam and his fiancé Noel have been together for years. They have a house, a cat, and their whole lives ahead of them. But when a sudden and permanent distance crashes into their relationship, it falls on Sam to discover where their story goes from here. Harlow Playhouse presents this new work by Tom Ratcliffe, directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair. Wreckage is a touching story about continuing bonds and love that only evolves, and never dies.”
Review by Richard Lambert, 3 Stars
A simple stripped back production performed on a painted stage with full width rear white cloth for projections, simple costumes of steel blue T shirt, shorts, and barefoot, WRECKAGE is a 2-hander that’s transferred from Edinburgh Fringe.
Written and performed by Tom Ratcliffe, along with fellow actor Michael Walters, it’s the story of carrying on when your partner dies young and the remaining partner feels guilty and somehow responsible for the car crash.
There are a lot of lighting fixtures and moving lights, along with a wide projector, however the lighting often miss the actors while sadly the projector never misses and displays the video content across the boys. The Turbine Theatre appears to have reduced cladding so if you sit at the rear of the auditorium it is occasionally difficult to hear Ratcliffe’s voice when the trains rumble overhead. All of these issues would likely be resolved with a more experienced creative team.
The well written script comes alive in the final scene with a huge emotional tug. Sam has aged while the deceased partner, Noel, has not. Noel is still around observing and interacting with Sam and this provides a brilliant finale to this 60 min show.
Photo Credit: the Harlow Playhouse
CAST
Tom Ratcliffe (he/him)
Michael Walters (he/him)
CREATIVES
Writer / Actor – Tom Ratcliffe (he/him)
Director & Designer – Rikki Beadle-Blair MBE, (he/him)
Lighting Designer – Rachel Sampley (she/her)
Sound Designer – Mwen
Casting Director – Nadine Rennie Producer – Rory Davies (he/him) for Harlow Playhouse
WARNING: THEMES OF GRIEF AND LOSS.
Listings
Wreckage
Thursday 5th January – Sunday 22nd January
By Tom Ratcliffe
Turbine Theatre, Arches Lane, Circus West, London, SW11 8AB
Performances
Thursday, Friday, Saturday – 7:30pm
Saturday – 3pm
Sunday – 4pm
https://www.theturbinetheatre.com/