Back When

Tom Nash’s new play ‘Back When’, and once again I wonder how an author begins and the inspiration to attempt an original script.

A clever conception of a play within a play: a metadrama according to the definition in the programme, and to have the author both co-directing and appearing in the play is icing on the cake. I have enjoyed all Tom’s efforts in the writing capacity and this one was no exception, but quirky and full of twists as well as humour. Set in the rehearsal room of a drama group, how true the atmosphere and those of us involved felt really at home.

At the rehearsal, the director Meryl Anderson does not totally agree with some ideas from author Tom Nash, much to frustrations for the cast of the play, and the relationship between these two also becomes fraught. But is there some sort of flash-back in reference to a previous incident and do they both remember the same incident in the same way, or is there a hidden meaning haunting them, twist one?

And to the players at rehearsal with words to learn and moves to clean up, plus firming up on relationships. Husband and wife Tim and Isy (Ollie Allen and Samantha Jones) were a good match in age and good in their interactions, bringing the problems in dialogue about a child, and watching scene 2 first just built up the questions. Then the crew with great rearrangement of set/props to scene 1 for the pre-action and giving the audience an idea of scenario (but shown later they could be wrong, twist 2).

And to scene 3 and the appearance of Emma (Susie Clarke), is she having an affair with Tim, is her relationship and friendship with Isy likely to survive, and what does Isy confess to Emma that turns the story on its head and shocks both Emma and the audience in the situation? And when Tim discovers the explanation, what will happen to the marriage and the friendships in the confrontation? Twist 3. A lot for Isy to learn and to be able to work so well with both the others in the revelation.

And then we finish the rehearsal and all walk out without tying up loose ends (twist 4), so we do not unravel the secrets hidden by this strong cast.

It says much for the play that the audience adjourned to the bar for quite a long discussion session about the situations and how the play worked, but the main question asked was how did the play resolve in scene 4 which we had not seen, and how and what was the relationship and the incident experienced by author and director? We all wanted to know, so Tom had definitely stirred the imagination and captured attention, and the actors, even in rehearsal, had managed their characters well enough for us to want more.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.