A forensically concentrated study of a marriage under strain, through both benign and malignant force, this taut piece by writer Judi Amato spits out over an intense 45 minutes.

Scenes of earlier minor domestic strife-arguments over work, parental, and money issues-are interspersed with prison visits. The information regarding how couple Owen and Sarah have come to this predicament is slowly revealed. Volatile from the start, Owen’s behaviour presages the tragedy to come. Eventually, he makes a choice with horrific consequences, landing him in jail with a lasting diabolical reputation. By association, Sarah’s existence has been compromised, the legacy of his dark act besmirching her character. Owen’s last shred of decency seems to hang on Sarah’s continued support, but she is unsure of whether to remain in her and her child’s best interests. Upon being shown divorce papers, Owen turns nasty, his desperation leading him to threaten to implicate her in his crime. The scenes are short and sharp, delivered with a razor-edge. It feels like the characters are bruised and cut. Monique Anderson and Peter James approach each other with full-throttle force. Scene changes find the actors engaged in fierce physical movement, a tribal challenge. The script careens along, very rarely stopping for a reflective moment. The surfeit of brash energy is thrilling, but prevents the audience from accessing the softer romantic aspects of the couple’s relationship, as they are introduced at a fraught pitch which never much modulates during the run time. The interaction repeatedly registers as angular, in both past and present. Maybe the point is that it was never a good match.

The finale also feels truncated, as if a concluding scene has gone missing. Perhaps a last monologue from Sarah to indicate her feelings surrounding her ultimate decision is needed. Amato’s script is certainly fiery and ferocious, if not a bit frustratingly uninflected.

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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