The Thrill of Love

As is becoming the nature of @2K this was an innovative piece to add to the list of new theatre presented by this company, following the success of ‘Ladies Day’ earlier in the year ‘The Thrill of Love’ is another play from Amanda Whittington’s repertoire and tells the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman in England to be hanged.

On entering the theatre we were met by a studio theatre setting with three performances spaces defined by furnishings appropriate to the places depicted; 2 different nightclubs and an open space taking the audience to a variety of different areas, including the police station and the grounds of a cemetery. Directed as quite a static piece we are taken from the moment that Ruth fires the gun to her finale demise, this is quite a word driven piece and lines were delivered clearly throughout so it was easy to follow. Casting was appropriate at characters defined by their dress, but the rawness and rough darkness of the life these people were leading was difficult to detect. Ruth herself was a damaged, sad, used individual trying to live the life of someone beyond her sphere, characterising her would be difficult enough for a highly experienced actor and our Ruth looked and moved with the essence of Ruth but didn’t quite capture her inner pain, torment and needs. Saying that this young lady showed potential and it will be good to see how she progresses as her theatrical and life experience grows. The more experienced actors developed as the piece became darker, Doris was nicely drawn and caught the eye.

This production would have worked better in a more intimate setting of a smaller studio, possibly in the round. There was a good use of music and sound but further development within the photographic moments would have helped the pieces dynamics.

It is always good to try something new, its encouraged and applauded, @2K and Rachel had obviously worked tirelessly to get to this point and it was an interesting and informative evening which we enjoyed (if you can enjoy such a harrowing story) and a well-deserved pat on the back to all concerned.

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