Off West End Award nominated playwright David Shopland has a new play called Cul-de-Sac, showing now at the Omnibus Theatre, Clapham. It was an interesting watch, but the production was too long for my liking. I sat down in my seat at 7.30pm and left around 10.30pm.
This show is about a couple, Ruth and Frank who live in a Cul-de-Sac in the suburbs of London. Ruth is questioning every decision she has made in life, including this move to the outer postcodes of the nation’s capital. Frank just wants his driveway back and you soon come to realise why. Ruth’s friend Marie is keeping a massive secret that will shatter her whole life. Then there is the neighbour Simon whose wife has just left him for his brother, and he doesn’t really know what to do with himself.
These characters meet in what starts to be a lovely evening, but irrevocably turns into chaos where truths are spilled and unexpected guests arrive.
Act one grabbed your attention, but as it went along its exposition dragged and you found yourself wanting the action to get going. At the end of the First Act there was a contemporary fight scene that felt out of step with what went before. It needed to be cut down and to be honest I didn’t feel it was necessary.
The second half was completely different, and I liked how it tackled some deep themes such as religion, death and grief. The arguments/discussions between Frank (Ellis J. Wells) and Ruth (Sheeran Roushbaini) were brilliant. Sheeran was absolutely convincing in the lead role and stole whole show. She struggled to project her voice a bit as the Second Act progressed, but it was a still a wonderful performance and she is a magnificent actor.
Some of the monologues are spectacular in their depth and colour and made you think about your own life, which is a good sign that the script works and has meaning.
The show says it is a comedy/drama and although it is laugh out loud in places, for me it is more of a drama than a comedy.
The Simon Character has some funny lines, but I did feel that sometimes he wasn’t needed in the scene, and he felt planted just to offer comic relief.
If you like a play with a lot of talking and comedy and that makes you think, this show is for you.
The staging was simple, atmospheric and intimate. The lighting especially heightened the mood of the action, and the acting was uniformly excellent.
With a bit of editing and a trim down of the superfluous action, this play is a great watch.