Cell Mates and the Act of Living

These two one-act plays made an intriguing choice for this autumn Nomads production and was performed in the intimate surroundings of the Nomads’ studio. This black-painted venue seats about 40 people, with some raked seating, and was ideal for these two plays.

The first play, as its title suggests, was set in a prison cell, as new inmate Terry spends the first night of his 3-year sentence there, before being transferred to his permanent location. A bunk bed, a table and two chairs were all that was needed, plus Terry’s bundle of bedlinen and night things.

The second play was set in a park, in a small town in the country, we assumed, as one of its characters was a child evacuee from London in the second world war. A green-painted bench was where the action happened. Lighting and sound were effective throughout both plays.

Cell Mates

Sound effects – the harsh clanging of a prison cell door, the sound of keys in the lock added greatly to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cell, and of course the black surroundings were ideally suited to enhance this.

Terry, the cocky young first timer, having been put to rights by the prison officer, gets that sinking feeling as the cell door clangs shut behind him. He suddenly realises he’s not alone. Sharing his cell, much to his horror, is George, who proceeds to put him right about his bolshy attitude. It turns out that Terry is in for robbery with violence, committed with a mate. This mate had beaten up the 78-year-old lady whose house they had been burgling, Terry had only pushed her so she had fallen to the ground. George was serving 25 years for the brutal murder of his wife’s lover. We hear the whole story of this tragic tale, the sadness George feels, the way he attaches no blame to his wife, nor seems to feel any resentment towards her, but shows only deep self-knowledge, regret, and understanding towards her.

He encourages Terry to talk, and the younger man eventually pours out the story of his terrible childhood – abusive father, rejection by runaway mother, a selection of foster homes and children’s homes. Finally, of course, the feeling of belonging he’d enjoyed when he met his mates.

And so the dialogue between them continued, with a few angry outbursts, throughout the night and next morning. George tried to talk about trust, and hoped to show Terry how the folk at his prison would be able to put him onto various courses – and even teach him to read and write – which would enable him to turn his life around. We sensed that the message was gradually sinking in. The prison warder fetched Terry and later returned and had a good rant about such cocky young first timers with George, George ranted back about the officer’s negative attitude.

In the final scene, set a few years later, it transpired that Terry had applied to be able to visit George, having earned early release for good behaviour, and been found an apprenticeship to set him up on the straight and narrow. George was of course delighted.

This was a thought-provoking piece, made all the better by the three strong performances of Josh Locke as Terry, Rob Hemphill as George, and Julian Edney as the Prison Officer. They made these characters very real, and we felt for both Terry and George, though less for the prejudiced prison warder! A great performance from all.

The Act of Living

Sound effects were excellent in this second piece, and used to great effect, setting the mood, evoking the time, plus the stages in the characters’ lives. The play began in 2013, with elderly Tom arriving in the park, at ‘his’ park bench by the lake, on his daily quest to feed the ducks, who we can hear merrily quacking, then squabbling over the food. With the playing of ‘There’ll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover’ we were transported back to 1942, to the 8-year-old Tom rushing around the stage in his school shorts, pretending to be a Spitfire. The next scene shows Evelyn, a year older than Tom, sitting on the park bench reading. After a tentative start, ‘You’re a GIRL’, the two become friends and form ‘The Spitfire Club’. The years progress, the war ends, the friendship deepens. Evelyn lends Tom her favourite record – Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, much to his surprise, but he sees a different side to her as she explains why she loves it. He, though, is a bit of a teddy boy, and prefers Rock Around the Clock. The couple realise their love for one another, (Beloved be faithful, beloved be true), get married (The Wedding March) by 1963 have a 4-year-old son, Jonathan. Evelyn wants a second child, Tom emphatically does not, he worries about the responsibility, about money. The playing of Brahm’s Lullaby signifies Evelyn’s victory on that score, and the arrival of daughter Tracy. They argue, as of course all young parents do, about the division of roles and responsibilities, and about money.

Grandchildren arrive. Tom becomes a Grumpy Old Man (just like his own grandpa, whom he despised). Evelyn becomes ill, and dies. Tom continues to come to the bench every day, and eventually brings a plaque to put on it in her memory.  Tom has his own time machine to comfort him though, he tells us, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on CD.

Granddaughter Sophie bounces in, the same age as Evelyn was when they first met, and of course the spitting image of Evelyn. She asks if the bench belongs to Grandad Tom. He answers that the bench belongs to the future now.

A moving play, with wonderful dialogue. The music played is an integral part of the play. It takes us back in time, and frames each scene in the passing lives of these two very ordinary but very endearing characters. All praise to Paul Reynolds and Andrea Charles for bringing these people, and their happiness, their sadness, their worries, their triumphs their toughness, their frailties, so vividly to life. We felt we knew them well. They portrayed their passing through the stages of life from childhood through the teenage years to older folk very well indeed, which can’t be easy. A great script, well directed again by Iain Macfarlane. I shall never look at a park bench with a plaque on it in the same way again.

Two super choices for Nomads autumn evening of one- act plays.

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