Writer: Abigail Hood
Director: Kevin Tomlinson
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Sometimes, people can cling on to things, even though common sense dictates that they should let go. Perhaps this could include clinging to the forlorn hope that a person who has gone missing will return or to the wreckage of a relationship that is doomed. In linked storylines, Abigail Hood’s play Spiral, first performed at London’s Park Theatre in 2018, explores both these scenarios.
Gill (Rebecca Cranshaw) and Tom (Jasper Jacob) are a middle-aged married couple whose 15-year-old daughter had gone missing on her way to school several months earlier. The Police assume that she is either dead or has run away from home as her own choice. Gill deals with the situation by turning to religion and drink. Tom, a school teacher, is facing disciplinary proceedings for allegedly behaving inappropriately with a female student and he compensates for the absence of his daughter by hiring a young escort to wear school uniform and act out domestic scenes. Inevitably, Gill and Tom drift apart.
The writer herself plays the escort, Leah. Her boyfriend, Mark is played by Kevin Tomlinson, who also directs this production. Mark, unemployed, acts as Leah’s pimp, but is overcome by fits of extreme jealousy of the clients with whom she is spending time. His behaviour becomes controlling, aggressive and physically violent, made worse when Leah’s relationship with Tom turns into a platonic friendship in which Tom sees himself as Leah’s protector. Here, the writer tackles the burning modern issue of domestic abuse head on, demonstrating the horror of Leah’s plight with great clarity.
Tantalisingly, Hood sets up the elements for a taut psychological thriller, but never commits fully to taking the play in that direction, opting instead for a straightforward emotional drama which succeeds only in patches. The problem is that the characters are not given sufficient depth for them and their dilemmas to become completely believable, the writer resorting too often to bland clichés when sharper insights are what is needed.
Undoubtedly, the scenes which wield the most power are those in which Tomlinson’s volatile and menacing Mark collides sickeningly with Hood’s confused and vulnerable Leah. Perhaps these characters merit their own play, but, for now, they reveal Hood to be a young writer of some potential and promise better work to come.
Performance dare: 4 August 2023
The Beast's Pen 