Four stars
Information: 27th-31st January at 21:30, Burton Taylor Studio. Duration 40 mins, price £4.
Meet Angie. Angie is a young and attractive secretary from Bromley. She is sitting in Charing Cross station waiting to meet her date, who doesn’t appear to be there yet. Meet Brian. Brian is a fumbling middle-aged businessman with a fabulously British awkwardness we know well from living and studying in Oxford. He is also waiting to meet his date, sitting on the same bench as Angie. As it turns out, Angie and Brian are meant to be meeting each other, having been set up on the blind date of the play’s title. The twist, however, is that they do not recognise each other until the date has effectively expired.
Frank Marcus’ “Blind Date” explores the differing aspects of human interaction through the struggle to find love, and the disappointment that comes when the ideal of love fails to match the reality. A simple setting and a fundamentally simple premise, but what we see is a vivid insight into the complexities of
human relationships, and the expression of hopefulness for what may come in a comic situation with deeply ironic undertones.
Rafaella Marcus directs this dynamite script with explosive force, capturing the subtlety of the scenario expertly. The staging compliments the simplicity of the setting and the plot wonderfully, with the changes from internal monologue to conversational dialogue exhibiting excellent timing, both comic and sharp. Sarah Clark realises the character of Angie with a refreshing wit, coming together to give at once the impression of cynicism and insecurity. Jaroslav Fowkes’ spin on Brian is a perfect complement, a performance which epitomises the awkward and gawky businessman, arousing several out-loud laughs in the process.
The verdict: this play is not to be missed. Opening in 2nd Week, it caters to everything you want out of a night at the theatre. And what’s more, it’s only 40 minutes long. Not a bad deal by my standards.
