Touch – Unity Theatre

Becky Downing has carefully crafted a beautiful script that brings four people’s stories together. As they were playing to a sold-out crowd, there was high expectation for the long-awaited verbatim piece, and it was received with great warmth.

Verbatim, for those that are unaware, is a theatrical device where the real words of people are used in the script. In this instance, it was handled well, and the language of those people was owned and honoured by those on stage.

Set over one day, this play tells a lot more about the connections between four neighbours, and for me the best moments were when everyone was still. At times it felt that the movement in and around the space was scripted and not spontaneous, which distracted from what was being said.

Using a wonderfully diverse cast who were perfect for their roles, this play celebrates the overlaps in our differences. The script incorporates different language and cultural experience like German and Japanese, which non-speaking members of the audience wouldn’t understand. Jessica Meade helped us by adding a script-reader onstage so we could see the lines and words, relying on how wonderfully they sound rather than their meaning – a thoughtful addition.

In terms of performance, the stories were handled with an honest sensitivity, and there was an overall feeling of comfort from the actors in their roles. At times diction and pace affected the performance. Some lines were too fast, and others were directed at the floor, so they would have been lost for those at the back of the audience.

The staging worked well, but in my opinion, could have been more efficient for the space. I can see the reason behind Meade’s choice to encase the action in a square box, as it highlighted those that were speaking and meant that all four characters were always ‘touching’ in some way throughout. However, the entire stage is a lot bigger, and it meant that there was too much empty space that could have been filled. Additionally, when the performers were not speaking, and at times that was for a while, they sat still looking at the floor. This pulled focus. I wanted to see them watching those in the square stage, I think it would have added to the tension and wouldn’t have let those on stage look like they were being ignored.

Overall, a thoughtful and intelligent piece of writing has been appreciated and honoured. I left with my thoughts provoked and I would watch it again. A shame that it only ran for one evening, but I hope Downing’s script will be taken on in the future. https://www.floodtheatre.co.uk/

Reviewer: Hannah Esnouf

Reviewed: 26th January 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★