Rupture

From the very beginning of Davey Anderson’s new play, the audience is thrown into a dark world of fast movement, subtle glances, and sleight-of-hand dialogue, and kept guessing.

As the story unravels (to explain it here would be a horrible spoiler), we become less concerned with the pattern of actions and more focused on the behavior and interaction of characters. Each is familiar to contemporary life in Scotland; as their growing immorality and indecency becomes clearer, we still find them to be very much human.

This flexibility is indebted to both the stage design and performances. As our expectations shift from intrigue to suspicion (and ultimately fear), the surroundings fluidly change to create uncertainty and discomfort. Strong performances from every cast member deserve applause. Special mention goes to Brian Ferguson as Stewart, whose unintentional nerdiness earns sympathy that never becomes pity.

The sound and music are used effectively, even if one might wish for a greater variety of tones and instruments. Clearly, the ideas of repetition and emptiness are important to the work, but they do not always succeed in musical form.

In the end, Anderson leaves many issues open for debate. He dabbles in themes of privacy, perversion, and the nature of observation, but does not provide an obvious solution for the questions that are raised. The play’s conclusion may leave some viewers feeling unfulfilled, but it is true to the spirit of the work (and of life). Rupture will certainly give you a thoughtful evening and plenty to discuss on the way home.