This was something of a roller coaster ride as we join the main character Kimberley, a very impulsive wilful and disturbed young woman. To quote the playwright Nick Coyle in his program note, “Have you ever been listening to someone tell a story and been overcome with the urge to say shut up? Have you ever been so bored at work that you’ve wanted to kick someone in the groin? Kimberley follows through on these impulses and doesn’t give a damn about the consequences was the starting point of my this play. Kimberley is fearless. She pours petrol over banality and sets it on fire, figuratively and literally.”
The play essentially is in two parts. In the first part we see Kimberley just doing her thing and enjoying riling people. Then there’s a monumental shift. She works as a waitress at an engagement party and falls head over heels in love with Miles, the guy getting engaged. She’s never been in love before. She tries to do her usual barnstorming antics but doesn’t have any success. In fact the tables are turned, Miles doesn’t know how to handle her and is impulsive and obnoxious back to her, in a sense giving her a taste of some of her own medicine. Miles tells her to ‘jump up and down’, and the lovesick ‘Juliet’ does just as he says.
The play runs straight through for just under two hours and it never flagged for me. It was the most vivid portrayals of heartbreak that I have seen on stage as we see this impish woman unravel on stage. II reminded me of Edith Piaf’s quote about love. ‘Love is the only fire for which there is no insurance.’ Claire Lovering’s brilliantly inhabits her character in a stand out performance. It was distressing to see Kimberley being so needy, all she wanted was a kiss or a hug from Miles, Miles would get her to do so much and yet the affection was never returned. It almost felt like a kind of abuse. The special effects, sound and visual, used during the performance added further in conveying Kimberley’s level of distress.
Gareth Davies played numerous roles, some of which were comic, light relief., and he showed, as always, his great range as an actor. His main portrayal, as the smug, obnoxious, self centred Miles, was all too convincing.
Michelle Lim Davidson also played a number of roles assuredly, her main role being that of Miles’ fiancee, Lily. At first one thinks that she is just a carbon copy of Miles apart from being a bit ditzy but as Lily and Kimberley spend more time together as a result of Miles’ wishes we see that she has more compassion and heart.
Tina Bursill also impressed playing Miles’ people pleasing mother as well as other roles including playing the aura which Kimberley sees when she has a migraine headache.
The show was well directed by Ben Winspear who had a good creative team working well for him: designer Sophie Fletcher, sound designer Steve Toulmin, lighting designer Trent Suidgeest and AV designer Mic Gruchy.
Recommended, Nick Coyle’s THE FEATHER IN THE WEB is playing the SBW Stables Theatre until 17 November, 2018.