All these and more were analysed and dissected in the latest offering being staged at the Howick Little Theatre.
Mammals is an award-winning play by the British actor and writer Amelia Bullmore, and was a shot of adrenaline over its two hours.
Its six-person cast delivered superb performances, with perhaps Katea Marie, as Jess, and Jessica Holly Bates, as Betty, in the hardest roles as Kev and Jane’s children.
Staying in character as infants for the entire two hours must be difficult, but the two actors made it look easy, and fun.
The dialogue is witty, the drama real and the tension precise.
The main characters – Kev and Jane – were seemingly happily married, until Kev, played by an excellent Terry Hooper, revealed a secret that changed the lives of everyone in the story.
When Kev first phoned his outside love interest, the audience was hanging on every word.
It quickly turned out he wasn’t the only one with secrets to share, as Jane, played by Jo Crichton, decided to do a little truth-telling of her own.
Complicating factors even more was the sudden and unexpected arrival of Kev’s best friend Phil, played by a convincing Carl Drake, and his sassy girlfriend Lorna, played by Nikki Christensen.
Many men will relate to having a friend like Phil – someone more inclined to a one-night stand than a long-lasting relationship.
One of the funniest lines came when Kev was telling Phil that he couldn’t relate to the intricacies of marriage, and that all Phil’s relationships were brief.
Referring to one of Phil’s many ex-girlfriends, he quipped: “I don’t think I ever saw Kathleen with her coat off.”
Questions left hanging at the end of the first half were answered in the second, and the play ended with an unexpected and potentially tragic development.
The set is simple and fitted the play perfectly because it is staged in one location – a basement flat in London. It’s full of excellent dialogue and is delivered expertly.
An excellent night out.
