In this devised show from the inventive company Antler, two friends wrestle with the consequences of their obsessions (which may even be addictions).
Leah, played by Leah Brotherhead, fixates on doing jigsaws. Having framed the last one she toiled to complete, she’s now focused on a 1,000-piece puzzle. Meanwhile Sophie, who’s given a puckish likeability by Sophie Steer, bounces relentlessly on a little trampoline — which seems not so much springboard as quagmire.
The characters, who may once have been lovers and appear trapped in some depressingly beige institution, are studies in self-absorption. This quirky two-hander, created by the cast with director Jaz Woodcock-Stewart, is perceptive about the insularity of compulsive behaviour and the walls people put up around themselves.
At 80 minutes it’s longer than it needs to be — an inspired sketch, with a touch of Samuel Beckett, that’s been significantly overextended. There’s no faulting the performers’ commitment, though. Steer reveals Sophie’s deep reserves of pain, and Brotherhead, after various attempts at coaxing and cajoling, brings real ferocity to a final scorching monologue about indifference.
Until Dec 1 (bushtheatre.co.uk)
