THE UNFRIEND – currently being performed by The Nonentities at Kidderminster’s Rose Theatre – will be the best black comedy you will see this year.
The script by Steven Moffat – beautifully crafted with astute observation and relatable situations – certainly brought to life by this talented cast.
The plot
It centres on Peter and Debbie – an archetypal British couple – who meet a ‘nice’ elderly American woman – Elsa – whilst on a cruise.
They agree to meet up at some point after the holiday ‘as no-one ever does’ but she, true to her word, pays them a visit in London.
The Denver pensioner would not looked out of place on hit TV show ‘The Golden Girls’ but a bit of Googling by Peter and Debbie and an online video reveal they may have just invited an unconvicted (not enough evidence) serial killer to stay at their home.
The cast
All of this six-strong cast played their part – Dan Taylor was great as the lenient PC Junkin and Bob Graham was fantastic as the ‘boring’ whilst very funny neighbour.
Picture courtesy of Elle Page. sMatthew Wilson and Evie Langford made the roles of teenagers Alex and Rosie their own. In the first act, they conveyed the stroppy, high-maintenance, one-word answering and reluctant to do anything teenagers (which you will know well if you have them) down to a tee. And, they were equally as effective with those softer sides (which you also see in teens occasionally).
Picture courtesy of Elle Page. sIt was hard to pick between the main three characters as every member of the trio was excellent.
Sandy Tudor portrayed the kind – but suspect – old lady Elsa brilliantly. You could not help but warm to her character, despite claims and investigative films online. On the one hand, the audience, like the couple, did not want to believe she was a serial killer but her comments here and there imply otherwise. And, also like Peter and Debbie, now she has arrived, how does a polite British pair bring up their concerns?
And Martin Salter and Jessica Schneider encapsulated the middle class parents with aplomb. With their on-stage conversation exchanges (they could finish each other’s sentences), chemistry, body language, facial expressions and some wonderfully delivered one-liners, they combined to give a comedy masterclass.
Picture courtesy of Elle Page. sYou feel for them and their predicament, you put yourselves in their highly uncomfortable situation and those said situations have that cringeworthy, ‘watch through your fingers’ quality you mostly get with renowned sitcoms such as Friday Night Dinner, The Office and Fawlty Towers.
The set and final observations
The set – your classic suburban family home – perfectly facilitates the action – as the plot intensifies, it seems to get smaller and more claustrophobic.
The second act also – to an extent – flips perceptions on their head and – believe it or not – has you questioning the pros and cons of Elsa, the focal character.
The whole roller-coaster two-hour show is very clever and garnered chuckles, chortles, guffaws and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, along with a buzz among the crowd as they left the venue. Congratulations to Director Richard Taylor and his team for a guaranteed fantastically funny night.
The Rose Theatre was packed almost to capacity on opening night and this show deserves sell-outs for the rest of the run.
So ask a friend if they will join you or take you to see this production – and if they don’t – you should probably ‘Unfriend’ them.
The Unfriend runs until Saturday, September 13, with performances at 7.30pm each night. Click here for tickets and more information.
