January 21, 2011
"At First Sight" is the first play by Oxford University graduate Barney Norris. Written in 2008, it's been doing the rounds at theatres throughout the country since, winning the Drama Association Of Wales's Act Play Competition in 2010.
The play tells the story of two young people, Jack and Holly, who cast their minds back to a time they spent in Salzburg. Jack is earning his money playing a piano in the bar of a hotel, whilst Holly is down for a skiing trip with her parents. Jack is lower middle class, whilst Holly is very much upper middle class; "proper English" as Jack opines in one scene. The opening scene, in which Jack lights up a cigarette and offers one to Holly, only for her to initially decline and eventually succumb to the wicked pleasures of a nicotine hit, is repeated thrice in the production, seemingly for dramatic effect. The third recap is extremely poignant; to elaborate further would ruin the story somewhat, so it is probably best left alone at this point in time. The play relies on flashback, with both characters recounting the moment via the medium of narration.
"At First Sight" is blessed with some wonderfully evocative and descriptive narrative passages. The choreography throughout is excellent; the aforementioned repeated scene in which Jack offers Holly a cigarette is pure film noir, whilst the dialogue has a wonderfully dreamy, Beckettian poetic punch. Charles Reston and Roseanna Frascona are both excellent in the lead roles, displaying a quiet intensity and impresssive feel for narrative language which will surely guarantee them both a future in the world of acting. Sound designer Will Stuart does a great job; firework displays, classical music and spoken word passages are all brought vividly to life, skillfully avoiding the technical hazards which can sometimes mar productions in smaller venues like the Burton Taylor Studio. Special mention must also go to lighting designer Alex Dickens, who creates a wonderfully moody ambience throughout, and image designer Matthew Ward, whose visual flair makes for some great dramatic scenes. Alice Hamilton directs the play expertly, the romanticism and awkwardness of the two protagonists is subtle to the point of perfection.
In my opinion, the play's only fault is that it's too damn short! I would have liked to see some more of the underlying tension that pervades the two lovers throughout; with leads as good as this, 45 minutes is not nearly enough! Although the repeated scene is, admittedly, extremely well executed and full of sexual tension, I personally think the second rehash could have been replaced with more of the evocative dialogue and doomy sense of longing that pervades the rest of the play, just to level the proceeedings out a little. Apart from these minor quibbles, this is a lovely piece of theatre which I would particularly recommend to married and non-married couples. Great stuff.
The play tells the story of two young people, Jack and Holly, who cast their minds back to a time they spent in Salzburg. Jack is earning his money playing a piano in the bar of a hotel, whilst Holly is down for a skiing trip with her parents. Jack is lower middle class, whilst Holly is very much upper middle class; "proper English" as Jack opines in one scene. The opening scene, in which Jack lights up a cigarette and offers one to Holly, only for her to initially decline and eventually succumb to the wicked pleasures of a nicotine hit, is repeated thrice in the production, seemingly for dramatic effect. The third recap is extremely poignant; to elaborate further would ruin the story somewhat, so it is probably best left alone at this point in time. The play relies on flashback, with both characters recounting the moment via the medium of narration.
"At First Sight" is blessed with some wonderfully evocative and descriptive narrative passages. The choreography throughout is excellent; the aforementioned repeated scene in which Jack offers Holly a cigarette is pure film noir, whilst the dialogue has a wonderfully dreamy, Beckettian poetic punch. Charles Reston and Roseanna Frascona are both excellent in the lead roles, displaying a quiet intensity and impresssive feel for narrative language which will surely guarantee them both a future in the world of acting. Sound designer Will Stuart does a great job; firework displays, classical music and spoken word passages are all brought vividly to life, skillfully avoiding the technical hazards which can sometimes mar productions in smaller venues like the Burton Taylor Studio. Special mention must also go to lighting designer Alex Dickens, who creates a wonderfully moody ambience throughout, and image designer Matthew Ward, whose visual flair makes for some great dramatic scenes. Alice Hamilton directs the play expertly, the romanticism and awkwardness of the two protagonists is subtle to the point of perfection.
In my opinion, the play's only fault is that it's too damn short! I would have liked to see some more of the underlying tension that pervades the two lovers throughout; with leads as good as this, 45 minutes is not nearly enough! Although the repeated scene is, admittedly, extremely well executed and full of sexual tension, I personally think the second rehash could have been replaced with more of the evocative dialogue and doomy sense of longing that pervades the rest of the play, just to level the proceeedings out a little. Apart from these minor quibbles, this is a lovely piece of theatre which I would particularly recommend to married and non-married couples. Great stuff.