Written & directed by Feather Shaw. Staring Luke Agnew, Rachel Foerg and Alex Ross. (3/5).
The programme reads; “Enjoy the play, have a laugh”. Done. This was a great way to kick off 2011’s LTT programme. To write and direct a play all by your lonesome is a big task, the result of which I often criticise but today I won’t. It worked. Shaw was working with a team who clearly brought themselves, their experiences and their hearts to this piece and together they made it work. Hitching is an adventure that many have undertaken, some very regularly, and the universal appeal of this play ensured the actors were really grounded in the work. They weren’t straining to be in a moment and space unfamiliar to them and the play seeped with familiarity.
Epic kudos goes out to Luke Agnew (“Man”); you carried this piece. Granted, your character had 98% of the lines, but you exploded in this role - you were “dynamite”. I hate to think that people like Man exist but deep down I know that they do, so thank you for letting me laugh at them. Foerg and Ross, however, came across a little flat. Given the energy which Agnew’s character demanded, the two girls had little chance of reaching the same level with the few lines they were given. Again, this play did work, the girls just needed to be a bit stronger and give Agnew something to bounce off.
Set was great (since it’s the first week I won’t mention how much I hate that cyc; oops, I just did). Staging was great. I loved the opening image of Foerg and Ross to the side, their backs to us, and Agnew raging to the stereo in the driver’s seat. Similarly I adored how Shaw navigated a “One Hour Later” time lapse. Stage manager Maya Turei entered the space as a hitchhiker with a classic hitchhiker’s cardboard sign saying ‘One Hour Later’; her presence as another hitcher was acknowledged in the script as Agnew’s character started screaming about having no more room. This was a very nice and unexpected touch.
This was a fun play, lots of laughs were had and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Win.
The road has no name
