Oskar Brown’s play Between was an intricately constructed work of theatrical craftsmanship.
by Patrick Cash
It told its tale through the facets of three different storylines, connected by a breathing osmosis of time and theme. These facets connected like metalwork into an intimate suspension bridge between actor and spectator, where the spaces between the stories held a jewel at the play’s heart.
The three strands all follow two men, one of whom could be the same person at different stages in his life: two pubescent boys discovering porn and sexuality; an acting instructor and his student poring over a sonnet of love; two men trying to work through a falter in lust, and love, within their relationship. The differing scenarios ostensibly offer an insight into men’s connection to their sexualities, and their status on that oscillating spectrum.
But perhaps what the play captures most enthrallingly, and with a stinging, bittersweet taste, is these men’s relation to intimacy. The feeling of taboo intimacy as the young boys tentatively explore their physical awakening of sexuality together, an intimacy of two men in love too fearful to speak, and the fading intimacy of misunderstanding a mind you know inside and out.
Technically, the play excelled. Direction was taut and the motif of having the actors remove their clothes to change between parts not only meant a lot of young, toned, male naked flesh was flashed – a surefire method of getting the gays to book tickets – but worked well as a symbolic reflection of two men baring themselves emotionally on stage. Both Nicholas Campbell and Brown himself were assured, nuanced and enjoyable to watch in their tripartite respective roles.
When taking the train back, and even when back home, I thought intermittently about this play. I wanted to know more about the characters and how their lives fitted together, but then I realised what I was seeking was the parts between their lives. When in fact, the potency of their emotive, sparse speech had been enough to make me feel my own life more strongly.
*****
• The King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, Islington, N1 1QN
Saturday 24th January – Saturday 14th March, see website for showing times on different dates. £18 (£15 concs).
