Since the success of the National Theatre’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, autism has been a fertile area for drama. Ella Carmen Greenhill’s highly praised Plastic Figurines, which arrives at the New Diorama in London this month, considers living with and caring for an autistic sibling. In Burning Bridges, Amy Shindler looks at autism and sibling rivalry but not always to the best effect.
Sarah is a young woman with Asperger’s who arrives in London from the US. She is visiting her sister, Kate, who has recently married an Englishman, Dan, whom she met at work. With Dan recently promoted above Kate, there are already simmering tensions in this marriage; the arrival of Sarah – and her determination to stay – soon adds to the pressures and highlights new areas of conflict, particularly around children, and whose career comes first. But these concerns pale into insignificance when Sarah makes an accusation that Kate believes, on the grounds that her autistic sister “cannot lie”.
This (sometimes disputed) characteristic of autism is used merely as a plot device, rather than being part of a deeper exploration of the condition and attitudes towards it. Shindler’s inexperience shows in other areas too: the complexities of the relationship between Kate and Dan are insufficiently explored before the arrival of Sarah, and the play seldom successfully negotiates changes of tone, particularly in its use of comedy. There is way too much plot, and way too little textual or thematic layering.
The evening is carried through the efforts of the cast: Anne Adams as Kate, Rae Brogan as Sarah and Simon Bubb as Dan all convince and bring some sympathy to their characters, even when the script doesn’t.
- At Theatre 503, London, until 8 October. Box office: 020-7978 7040.
