Scenes From a Friendship at Neville Theatre Nottingham Playhouse Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Louise Edwards
The world premiere of Scenes from a Friendship, at the Neville Theatre, a studio theatre part of the Nottingham Playhouse is currently performing until Friday 12 June.
Written by Jane Upton and directed by Hannah Stone, the play is set in Long Eaton in the 1980s. The play follows Jess (played by Katie Redford) and Billy (played by Benedict Salter) where we meet them as childhood friends. The play literally takes us through snapshots of their friendship over the years, through highs and lows, fallouts and make ups, jealousy and pride.
The chemistry between Redford and Salter is electric as we follow the pair’s journey through decades of teenage crushes, school plays, childhood dreams and sexual discovery in a way that feels raw, fresh and honest. As adults we see Jess struggling after a traumatic birth, with Billy rushing to her side providing support and then as young parents with Billy following his dreams in London they drift apart only to be pulled back together like magnets.
As well as at times intense and emotional, the play is very funny and the 90 minutes it runs for without an interval, flies by. Charting four decades the play captures the push and pull of a lifelong bond with honesty and heart. As the play concludes we learn more about what has shaped them into the people they are today and perhaps why they were drawn to each other so fiercely and how these dynamics cement their bond.
The stage, designed by Abby Clarke is a stark black and white and design with sharp edges offset at angles consisting of a bed, desk, drawers. The backdrop and floor is lined with grids of photos of the main duo through their lifetime – literally scenes of their friendship. The lighting, by Alex Musgrave, cleverly creates at times a gentle glow or a contrasting brightness reflecting the highs and lows of life and relationships. The sound is perfect for the context of the play and Ellie Isherwood has captured the music of the period yet still relevant to contemporary culture.
Scenes from a friendship is an energetic, beautifully observed celebration of the friendships that quietly sustain us throughout our lives. The Neville Studio is an intimate theatre space, seating just 98 people and creating an up close, immersive atmosphere perfectly suited to character driven productions such as this. There is something quietly powerful about a story so rooted in specifically the East Midlands, and in a similar contrast to the award winning Punch, that make this tale applicable to so many other cities in the UK, or even worldwide. For local audiences this is a rare treat, recognition rather than representation, hearing their own world reflected back from the stage. Drama such as this reminds us that local stories are never small stories.
Nottingham Playhouse is one of the East Midland’s most celebrated producing theatres with a proud history of staging world class drama for over 60 years.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets starting from £18
https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/scenes-from-a-friendship/