Blink
by Phil Porter
The Caxton Players
The Caxton Theatre, Grimsby
30 March - 1 April 2023
Blink marks the directorial debut of Caxton Players' regular Stuart Stretton and provides reassurance that te reputation of this theatre group, for quality, is in safe hands moving forward. He has produced a play that is challenging, heart-warming and yet somehow oddly disturbing all in one go, and does so exceptionally well. It is a one-act play that runs continuously for an hour and twenty minutes and through Stretton's careful direction, the pace does not dip and the stage remains an interesting space throughout.
It is a two-hander, which brings John Ferguson and Jess Howden together on stage as a dysfunctional pair of adults struggling with modern-day life and it's expectations. It is a consideration of numerous themes: loss, grief, loneliness, love, voyeurism and coping strategies. And the sum of all these parts creates something both tender and loveable, whilst also providing enough edge to make the audience slightly uncomfortable at times. I thoroughly recommend it to audiences who are looking for someting slightly different from their theatrical outings.
Each performer directly addresses the audience, breaking the fourth wall from the outset, and contextualises their own stories which gradually intertwine and see the performers working together effectively. Ferguson's Jonah is a socially awkward lost soul who breaks free from the shackles of a religious community with very strict rules, based in the North of England. Jonah moves to London and the fish-out -of-water scenario becomes painfully obvious upon his arrival in the Big Smoke and he struggles to get to grips with his situation.
Howden's Sophie is equally awkward for different reasons but is another lost soul seeking more from life but unsure how to achieve it. Sophie lives ina flat above her infirm father's flat and maintains a watch courtesy of a baby monitor and screen to ensure his safe-keeping until one day e dies leaving a bereft Sophie wondering what to do now that her reason to live and care has passed on. So, Sophie redecorates her father's flat and rents it out to the new arrival Jonah, though the two never meet.
I really don't want to spoil the plot in this review by telling the entire story, as it is far more satisfying to see events play out before your eyes as an audience. Suffice to say that the two find each other in the oddest of ways and an unusual relationship blossoms before tragedy strikes and their link is tested to the full.
Both Howden and Ferguson give outstanding performances as the disjointed story unveils itself and we begin to see what is happening and why. Each plays multiple other roles to fill out the narrative and with an array of accents and mannerisms, keeps the action moving and the story progresses beautifully. It is a very strong piece of writing and in it's execution, STretton and his actors have crafted a wonderfully engaging piece of theatre. It is, on the surface, a simply staged production but demonstrates layers that challenge the audience and makes them ask questions of our two protagonists' actions and motivations.
This play, a tender love story and something of a romantic comedy, will surprise it's audiences and take them on a journey. It is a delight to see challenging work of this nature being performed in an intimate setting, and I hope we see a lot more productions like this in the future.
Blink by Phil Porter runs from Thursday 30 March to Saturday 1 April 2023. The performance starts at 7:30pm and tickets are available through the Caxton Theatre's usual outlets.
Andy Evans
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