Theatre

Permission to Cry

Alan Hindle | Sunday 7 August, 2011 14:06

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Upright, uptight, disdainful, utterly correct and transparent  junior minister Julia Gibbon is harbouring a secret, a devastating one, if only to a conservative politician. So it’s no surprise that a young, ambitious reporter starts digging away at her dubious moral foundation and hidden life. Following the death of a female reporter in a riot (so, timely enough) Julia’s mind and career quickly and publicly unravel. At only 38 minutes in length, the play has little chance to build to the promised heart-rending conclusion, and because the characters are, by their natures, stiff and restrained, mere facades for their careers, there is little human emotion on display to develop sympathy. Rebekah Daven Watson as Julia manages to eke a few moments of humanity out of her role, and Monty Burgess’s clammy, touchy, socially inept Councillor Eldon Pugh presents a character we can at least relate to, if in a somewhat repulsed way. These are cardboard cut-outs, all plummy accents and power suits, and how can I care what happens to any of them?

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