Losing the Plot

Losing the Plot was the fourth play written by John Godber specifically for the theatre company he runs in Wakefield and which bears his name. The play is in typical Godber territory, including large amounts of poignant comedy in the way it explores relationships, sometimes making the audience laugh out loud and other times making them almost wince with discomfort and self-recognition.
The plot revolves around the relationship between husband Jack Munroe (Chris Binns), an art teacher, and his wife Sally (Joan Tattersall) who runs a flower shop. When he has to face the prospect of his life being turned upside down by changes at his school, Jack walks out on the world he knows in order to get his thoughts straight. He returns unexpectedly three months later to find that his wife Sally has been writing a book – about him – which promises to be a great success. So the scene is set for a neat reversal of rôles, with him at the flower shop and his wife being the real bread-winner in the family.
These rôles suit Chris and Joan beautifully, having a fine rapport and chemistry which adds to the authenticity of their relationship on stage. Chris’ Jack seems confused and out of touch with reality, hurt and angry about the book that is being written about him but not quite understanding why. On the other hand, Cookson’s Sally is frustrated and exasperated with him and with her situation, happy that she has finally found recognition in her own right and angry that Jack does not want to encourage her.
Although the play gets off to a slightly slow and unclear start, it finally gets into its stride in the second act where it takes the audience through a series of ups and downs as Jack and Sally come to terms with what has happened and the changes to their lives as a result. Alongside the main plot, we are also introduced to a debate about whether something popular can be truly called art, and a subtext about lack of access to arts for disadvantaged youths and the self-centered nature of the modern world – both highly topical issues in the current economic and political climate of budget cuts and austerity. 
The script unfortunately does not always seem to flow very well and at one point it is almost as if something has been cut, with the simmering resentment bursting out as anger at the end of one scene and suddenly resolving into a happy relationship at the beginning of the next, with no exploration of what has happened to change the relationship. Neither are the underlying reasons for Jack walking out really explored, or what happened to him while he was away.
Mention must be made of the incredible set, built and decorated by Mel & Fran Silver, Brian Stead, Jeff Brown and Joy Binns which portrays a finely-detailed suburban kitchen with many excellent finishing touches; plants, messy notice board, exactly as you might find in any one of thousands of kitchens around the country. Credit must also go to the rest of the back stage team on props, lighting & sound for enhancing the production.
All in all, two strong performances but with a script that maybe needs a little work
 

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