Strangers In between is a coming-of-age story set in Australia. The story follows young Shane as he gets settled in Sydney and the play follows his struggles with coming out and self-discovery. The cast bought this play together with well-timed comedy and strong acting.
Tommy Murphy’s play is described as a period piece in the programme, but it still has the power to resonate with younger audiences. The play has a very clear message and really would work as a piece of theatre to teach younger audiences about sex.
Alex Ansell does a good job of capturing Shane’s youthful naivety. He uses his innocence to create allot of comedy and did a good job with sustaining the Australian accent, even during the more emotional intense scenes.
Stephen Connery Brown has excellent comic timing as Peter. Stephen brings allot of warmth to the character and quickly establishes the parental role over Shane.
Matthew Mitcham did a good job picking up the roles of Ben and Will and there was a clear distinct difference in his body language that helped to split the two characters apart.
David Shield’s set evolved really smoothly throughout the play and even contained a functional sink! I really enjoyed how the centre piece transformed from a counter to a bed to a bath!
Lawrence Carmichael also did a fantastic job with the movement and intimacy scenes. The fight sequences were very realistic which is hard to achieve in a small space. The bath scene was also choreographed in a clever way that limited the nudity.
Strangers in between is a funny heartwarming story about finding family from strangers. Although there are some clumsy moments generally the cast do an excellent job at making Tommy Murphys play funny and entertaining.
Playing until 7th October, https://www.goldengoosetheatre.co.uk/whatson/strangers-in-between
Reviewer: Jennifer Laishley
Reviewed: 22nd September 2023
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 3 out of 5.
