Oliver Maynard and Nick Hyde in Double Act at Southwark Playhouse. Photography by Tanya Pabaru.Leaving the apartment with determination, our walker talks himself into a frenzy of agitation at the sight of a man up ahead. As he draws closer, realisation dawns that he is known. A brash, confident and affected salutation from the former fellow pupil at school confirms the matter, but there the similarity ends. This man has it all — the smarmy financier, who married at Lake Como stands head and shoulders above the poor, underachieving illustrator of children’s problem stories.
Writer and actor Nick Hyde performs alongside Oliver Maynard in this play which explores what happens when a troubled man takes a day off and embarks on a journey to the south coast. On the way, he has calls with his boss, his mum, meets-up with his ex-girlfriend at a McDonalds and generally gives anyone he meets, cause for concern about the state of his mental health. The delivery is a clowny spectacle with the actors wearing peirrot make-up for much of the show, juggling joviality whilst trawling a darker side to the human psyche and those things which can unsettle and destabilise us.
Is it a great play? No. Is it a deeply considered, neatly contrived piece of theatre, performed by two committed individuals thoroughly engaged with the material? Yes, absolutely. The accents, character traits and instant personifications will resonate with anyone who knows how it feels to be surrounded by strangers on a near constant basis. Strangers who (in the wrong circumstances, with the wrong mindset) can instantly become sworn enemies for invading our space and privacy by encroaching on an armrest, or (heaven fore-fend) daring to wave a clipboard and ask cheerily (eugh!) if we have a moment, when clearly we are rushing and barely have time to breathe. [And relax!]
Some neat sound design work from Frederick Waxman enhances Director Jef Hall-Flavin’s sharply chronicled journey to the cliff’s edge which continues at Southwark Playhouse until 5th April.
