Play on Words

First performed in 2006 at the Buxton Fringe, revived in Edinburgh in 2007 and performed in January 2010 at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London, Play on Words is an old fashioned confection of moments both tragic and comic, juggling language and dramatic structure in an elegantly updated production.

Thespians Fred (Yaz Al-Shateer) and Eddie (Michael Grady-Hall) get caught in their own theatrical reconstruction. What starts off as comedy, complete with an in-house technician who marks his lighting cues with special dedication (Tom Crawshaw), turns out to be a drama revolving around missing friend Jen (Meriel Rosenkranz). Fred and Eddie’s dynamic duo transforms into a fractured friendship as the two delve deeper into their memories.

Tom Crawshaw’s play is based on a youthful, self-conscious but finely crafted text that explores the dynamics between actor, character and audience with brevity and an acute feel for language. Crawshaw’s theatrical construction is very aware of its own mechanics: a play within a play unfolds in front of us in which misunderstandings turn out to be plot twists and good old fashioned farce brings some charmingly tacky humour to the show.

And yet for all its theatrical complexity, the play doesn’t dig deep into its content, and bases its strength on clever word puns and conceits a little too often. The directing is patchy, lacking precision and allowing witty moments to slide by and important information to dissipate in the background. We travel through a pot-pourri of scenes wrapped in clever theatrics though seldom rising to the demands of the narrative.

Play on Words is an engaging show that attempts to deconstruct its own medium. It’s certainly rewarding to see a performance remove the ground from under its feet; and the cast works hard to meet the challenge, but the production cuts some important corners in the process.