★★★☆☆
Three Stars
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg starts with a bang and goes on with an onslaught of emotional and intellectual attacks from there. The play touches upon human relationships in almost every conceivable way, familial, friendly, romantic, and does so throughout the play, constantly adding nuances to each as the story progresses. Although, at points, the audience does seem to wonder “How much can I find out about a family in one and a half hours?” This is counteracted by the characters’ monologues – and dialogues, in fact – which appeal directly to the audience. They are emphasising the fact that you are intruding in a voyeuristic way however long you stay, so you might as well stay for the ride.
Which would, indeed, be worth your while. The actors are all extremely competent and bring off their characters with a flair and personal style – notably, Brian (Sam Ward) assuming different roles as his character relives his past. The character of Sheila – played very well by Claudia Hill – is the simple woman but ultimate mother figure. Their friends Freddie and Pam and the late appearance of Brian’s mother, Grace, though the characters are not quite fleshed out, are also worth mentioning in that they achieve what they were supposed to. They add to the chaotic atmosphere being constructed by Brian and Sheila’s emotional breakdown, accentuated by Jo’s physical one.
The impression of a stable family home, slowly revealing all its wear and tear, is quickly established by an impressive set – probably about as furnished as the BT is going to get – and solid lighting which was not imposing but fully complemented the action onstage. One of the audience’s first impressions is that a lot of work has gone into this production.
Though well-done and with a general quickness and fluidity in deliveries and interactions, it is not completely polished, with a few lines too many lines going astray to be written off as first-night nerves. Thankfully, the cast does not let that affect them, and are able to quickly cover and move on without creating any awkwardness. Strangely enough, the play seems to be constantly trying to be awkward then veering off it into the genuinely thought-out. The beginning which calls for slight audience interaction, freezes the audience then serves to break the ice. When Jo was brought on, I prepared to cringe, but it never happened. Disability done by someone fully able onstage can quickly turn into something offensive and her frequent seizures could easily have been either ridiculous or disturbing. This was certainly not the case at all. Lucy Delaney’s performance was finely-tuned and understated enough to find the balance between realism and aesthetic representation.
All in all, the emotional back-and-forth and the inability to decide which character to identify with is not for everyone. However, if the limits of people, whether physical, intellectual or emotional, portrayed with subtlety and care are of any interest to you, head to the BT.
