runt
Wilson Bell @ Wills Refectory
8:30pm, Tue 26 Feb 2002
Score: 9
Short Review: Powerful
At first I thought this was going to be a simple monologue, as Michael Edwards (in the shape of Wilson Bell) strolls onto the stage and starts talking about his childhood. However, it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary monologue – this is a deeply personal interrogation of Edwards’ own psyche we are witness to.
The first time Edwards adopts the persona of his father, I knew this was going to be a cracker. I could have sworn there were multiple people on stage, so convincing was his portrayal of his father (and other characters), and he uses his expressive face extraordinarily well. The appearance of his grandparents’ butler was great, as was his fathers’ spiel about the “sweet love spirit”. But the final (internal) confrontation with his father is stunning theatre – and Edwards worked for it to, judging by the rivers of sweat streaming from him.
In the end, it’s the fear that Edwards has of the inevitable – that he will become his father – that proves the driving force behind this play… the strength of this message makes the presented humour and trivialities that much more effective. A powerful bit of theatre.