Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Bench

Bench is an interesting interaction between two men contemplating a crime. Initially it has a "Waiting for Godot"feel in that the characters are waiting for someone who never appears. There is a clever twist that leads to a satisfying end.

I enjoyed the banter between the two characters. Brent Palmer and Adrian Collins are brilliant together and play off each other so well. Its is an emotional and clever journey between comedic and serious moments as you get to know the characters. Henry, the con man, is so greasy that he almost becomes endearing. Dwain initially appears as the passive aggressive fool but slowly upwraps the different layers of their lives revealing Henry's character.


I attended the script reading at the Baxter several months ago and this is a tighter version of the script. The play has a lot of swearing that wasn't in the reading which I initially found irritating. However it fit the context of the play and added to the comic moments. The audience was completely absorbed in the play and there were many outbursts of laughter at the clever dialogue. It is a must see and well done to Brent on the script and both Brent and Adrian for a fabulous show.

Our thoughts and comments on performances and the performing arts in the Western Cape, South Africa.