Edgar and Annabel opens with Edgar's arrival in Annabel's kitchen. He is reading from a script, referring to a salmon dinner when it's quite clearly chicken. The surreal nature of this exchange sets the scene for an hour of rich and darkly comic story telling. The couple are ringers - stand-ins living a fabricated life - who provide cover for a group of guerilla activists intent on political change. Their exchanges are scripted to fool the bugging devices recording their every conversation. What can't be scripted, however, is the chemistry between them.
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| Love Act-ually |
As the sexual tension rises between Annabel (brilliant Kirsty Bushell) and Edgar (cute and bolshy Trystan Gravelle), so does the dramatic tension. Bombs are built on the kitchen table while activists sing bad karaoke to muffle the sounds of industry. It is disquieting to be laughing at scenes of intended terrorism, and that disconnect between emotion and intellect is at the heart of the piece. The set, effectively a kitchen-in-a-box, heightens the sense of walls closing in. This is brilliant writing by Sam Holcroft.
The second play of the evening is set at the back of the National Theatre's Paintframe store. The Swan by D C Moore is an atmospheric piece set around the funeral of a serial shagger. More parable than drama - with some rich turns including Trevor Cooper as the foul-mouthed and complex, Jim - it uncovers a series of unsurprising but nonetheless unsettling secrets that question the wisdom of sharing unpalatable truths.
In Conclusion:
Edgar and Annabel is a cracker and
The Swan provides everyday humour and thought. The Paintframe Band which entertains before and between performances in an event billed as
Double Feature 1 is itself worth the ticket.
References
Caroline McGinn review in Time Out
Interviews with the writers of Double Features 1 & 2
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