Something Good - review

Written by: Dombo (@DomOJFryer)

Where's Dom gone?

The Firestation, Windsor

Was Dom fond? 

*** 

Something Good descended on Windsor – and it wasn't Eurovision. Promising young playwright Georgia Coles-Riley brings the lives of four university housemates into the spotlight as they attempt to stay up through the night, until their 9 AM lecture. The events that follow are amusing and at times incredibly compelling. As you walk into the dimly lit basement of the converted Firestation, you are greeted by a view which is, to me at least, all too familiar; a mess. However, unlike the mess in my bedroom, this one is pre-meditated and well conceived (also, this mess would be there only for one night, and smells fine). Every pizza box and empty bottle is meticulously placed; make no mistake, any student would feel at home on this stage. Lauren Buckley, in her role of set designer, is to be thanked for this.

The cast is incredibly strong, with Rebecca Harrod and Frankie Abbley displaying the considerable chemistry needed to play two university friends who live together. Brigitta Rose is superb in her role as Mari, a seemingly naïve and childish student who appears to have a fatal attraction to Dirk, the “lad” of the house. Dirk, played by the fantastic Jack Gordon Hughes, is most certainly the comic relief of the group. Even the cameo roles of Ben, a boy whom Ellen (Harrod) brings home, and the Neighbour (played by Alex Lawson and Jade Kearney respectively) are brilliant for the limited time they are on stage. All of the above are directed superbly by Charlotte Lewis, each providing characters who we can both like and relate to.

           
It would be impossible to review a piece of new writing without mentioning the writing, right? Well, I've done it now, so here goes; I wanted more. Perhaps it was down to the limited timeslot which the piece had, or maybe my simple brain, but I was left with many questions upon leaving the auditorium. The comedy moments in the play were touched on beautifully and the jokes were good; it was the darker, more serious moments which left me wondering. To this end, the play would most certainly benefit from being extended, as I feel it would give more opportunity for explanation. However, there is no questioning that there is talent here, and Georgia Coles-Riley, a member of The Sherman Theatre's Advanced Writers' Programme, will surely produce not just Something Good, but perhaps Something Great, very soon.