Spiral a new play by writer/performer Abigail Hood, received its premiere at Park Theatre earlier this week. In her play, Ms Hood tackles some sensitive and difficult subjects but commendably, tries to minimise the sensationalism.The opening scene depicts Tom, an honest and sincere middle-aged school teacher (Adam Morris) in the company of a pigtailed school girl. As he describes her day to her, it soon becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. The girl, Leah (Abigail Hood) is playing a role and has been hired so that Tom can momentarily assuage the angst and helpless emptiness he feels at the unexplained disappearance of his daughter. The strain which Sophie's disappearance has placed on his relationship with his wife (Tracey Wilkinson) is palpable and when some of his daughter's school friends make formal accusations of his improper behaviour towards them, his suspension from teaching and tawdry, "no smoke without fire" accusations, quickly follow. This is the spiral of the title and Ms Hood is at pains to point-out that rarely nowadays is anyone inclined to believe the possibility that some misconstrued actions and behaviours are entirely innocuous. Natural societal cynicism, (fuelled by sensationalist reporting and trial by social media) have radically altered our perception of weakness and frailty to the point that human beings have developed an insatiable predilection for lurid scandals, rather than mundane truths - irrespective of the cost to individuals of feeding that demand.
The other dimension to the play is provided by the wholly dysfunctional relationship between Leah and her overbearing, manipulative and violent boyfriend Mark (Kevin Tomlinson who is also credited as co-director). He exudes the worst kind of selfishness and sociopathic tendencies - not only has he identified Leah's abandonment issues and plays upon them, but he crows and demands thanks for being the one who set-up her online profile as a prostitute so that she can work to keep a roof over their heads. He even claims that the tracking software he placed on her phone was done so that he could protect her when she is on a job. Mark impatiently refuses to consider anything which conflicts with his own preconceived explanations, but whilst Tomlinson has a game stab at the role, this reviewer wondered if greater mental assuredness and menace would have been exuded by a more experienced performer.
Elements of the on-stage marriage weren't wholly convincing either, due to a lack of chemistry between the actors, but in contrast, Tom's caring and mutually supportive relationship with daughter-substitute Leah blossomed into a wholesome and far more compelling narrative. If this is Ms Hoods first foray into playwriting, it bodes well. Certainly, with a more satisfying resolution (and the tidying of a few loose sub-plots), the script could expect a life beyond its run at Park Theatre - but perhaps that would be best served by re-formatting it as a two-part television drama.
