★★★☆☆
Three Stars
When snowed under with Facebook notifications, texts, and emails filled with spam, advertisements and most horrifyingly looming piles of work, it can seem like the most appealing option would be to swear off modern technology for good. In his new play, Ridley’s Choice, James P. Mannion takes this idea and runs with it. Crushed after his newest play is lambasted by critics, our protagonist, George Ridley, escapes the modern world to live a simpler life in the woods. In our modern world of smartphone wielding youths, however, this simpler state of life cannot last for long.
At times overwhelmingly pretentious and frustratingly contemplative, George Varley proves himself to be a stellar choice for Ridley. The rapport between Ridley and Archie Thomson’s hypnotically sinister Clive is enjoyable, certainly sparking more interest than Ridley’s relationship, or lack thereof, with his estranged family. The struggle between these characters travels rapidly between the dark and the farcical, and both actors are well-suited to the comedic aspect of their roles. Their dialogue, however, intermittently becomes stilted and heavy-handed, warping into overly sarcastic speech riddled with unnecessary profanity. Ridley’s Choice is not exactly subtle. Despite this, Ridley and Clive never become unwatchable, with Varley and Thomson together lending the play an infectious energy.
Like Thomson and Varley, Ali Ackland-Snow shines in her performance as an almost Machiavellian newspaper editor, the harbinger of the encroaching influence of the media. Although quieter than the exchanges between Ridley and Clive, the interaction between Ackland-Snow’s Polly and the isolated Ridley are almost equally captivating. The intimacy of the half-thrust stage set up of the Burton Taylor works well for a play so focused on the intrusion of technology and the media; the audience is aware of the invasion upon Ridley’s life and private feelings, and yet remains intrusive, fascinated with a figure made increasingly public.
Despite the convincing performances of the whole cast, the play can at times feel laboured, too wrapped up in allegorising the evils of our media-driven age to focus on what this all means for human relationships, other than the rather extreme reaction of cutting off all contact and staring again alone in the woods. The media is an easy scapegoat, the newspaper editor an easy villain, particularly in the post-Leveson era. The accusatory finger at times points to the smartphone-wielding youth, or the ignoramus preferring his phone to the Nobel Peace Prize Awards Ceremony, but for the most part is directed squarely at the immoral journalists and editors, sacrificing humanity for the scoop. You almost expect Polly to rub her hands together and announce her plan to the audience like a pantomime villain, while the naïve Ridley gazes off into the distance, mentally embarking on his imaginary romance.
Overall, this was a pleasure to watch. The production as a whole is commendable, with a thought-provoking script. Subtlety may have been sacrificed, but the charged dialogue meant an enthralled and amused audience. Funny, fascinating, and well-written, seeing Ridley’s Choice is not a choice that any audience member would regret choosing.
