Don't Switch It Off

The cynic might expect a play supported by the Edinburgh University English Literature Department to exhibit high levels of solipsism and pretension. Instead, this bold piece of new writing is surely one of the most professional, sensitive, and entertaining plays to grace the Bedlam stage in some time.

Oscillating between a confined kitchen setting and a fantasy island, Don’t Switch It Off muses upon the grand issues of relationships, death, loss and grief. Fred Gordon’s weighty script deals with some of the larger complexities of life with skill, keeping them tangible and relevant to today’s troubled political climate; for example the soldiers trapped on the mysterious desert island have previously been serving on the front line in Afghanistan.

The narrative—Lost-like in its convolutions—keeps the audience guessing throughout: where is this island, how did the soldiers get there – and who is this strange Philips character who talks to himself?

The divided set is skilfully worked; the cramped, tense kitchen making an excellent contrast to the tropical sandpit, whilst the ‘death box’ in the centre is suitably unnerving. There are impressive and affective performances all round, particularly evident in the troubled relationship between Laura (Olivia Okell), and Hugh (Ed Sheridan), whose uneasy chemistry well dramatises the couple’s problems. The dark comic relief in the form of Briggs (Stephen Graham) is also noteworthy; his farcical authority, profuse obscenities and frustrated suicide attempts induce much laughter.

The only part of the production that is less than skilfully executed is the ending. As the audience had already grasped the symbolic position of the desert island, Laura’s final soliloquy seems a little clumsy and unnecessary, especially in contrast to the otherwise delicately crafted, intuitive script. Overall, however, it's a thoroughly enjoyable, perceptive performance, impressively realised by all involved.