Sisyphean Quick Fix – Pleasance Courtyard

Sisyphean Quick Fix is an intriguing, beguiling and enchanting story of addictive and alcoholic father cared for by his two children, Krista and Pip. Bettina Paris play perfectly captures the family rivalry within the group and finely demonstrates the dangers of addiction. Bettina Paris appears as Krista with Tina Rizzo. Both provide impressive and intriguing performances as the family finds its way through the trauma of their predicament.

The characters and writing unfold and display something perceptive and intelligent and the production is finely executed and mounted and would certainly would benefit from a substantially larger audience. It’s undoubtedly a funny, comic thought-provoking play about the pressure and impact of alcoholism on a family and the almost insurmountable Sisyphean job of tackling it. The piece crackles with honesty, integrity and insight and the two lead performers have a vibrant electricity  on stage. It’s unbelievably Paris’s first writing for stage and it becomes a stand out must see piece for the festival.

It is both a poignant and comic exploration of their plight raising vital issues against a background infused with Maltese culture and language, lending it a unique and intriguing aspect drawing in the audience with every sentence and scene. The direction is tight relying on a vibrant music score and an expressive physicality to support and embellish the finely tuned script.

It’s the buoyant bickering banter of siblings working out how best to deal with an ailing addictive father figure who, though absent, hangs over the play like a strong presence. This is play with a strong message and intent which is viscerally engaging and vital. It is funny, it is attractive and it is very, very watchable.

Reviewer: Peter Kinnock

Reviewed: 18^th August 2024

North West End UK Rating: