Bash by Neil LaBute

Bash - written by Neil LaBute (Adika Productions)

Bash is a showcase for the two starring actors (ironically not named in any of the shows publicity). It's important to remember that when you sit down and listen to the three monologues, modern day story telling that takes the audience deep under the skin of the character.

Bash is about showing us how good the student actors we are seeing can be. And yes they are very good, but the price to pay for this is a writing style that doesn't always hit it's mark.

To explain what the three monologues are about would be to give away the plot lines, but broadly speaking we have a young and up coming business exec explaining why the death of a child can be seen as an excepitable loss, a couple enjoying a manhattan party until events turn darker, and a women recounting her life as an abused school child.

Dark stuff. Played with brilliant poise and pathos by the two wonderful actors who show clear understanding of the characters they play. In amongst all this is some grim humour, but we are laughing with the characters not at them, so darkness is relieved; albeit in a stark bleak fashion.

It's the writing that fails on many occasions to fully engage with the audience even though the actors are fully committed. The first monologue has a confessional conceit for it's theme which feels too far fetched while the two handed monologue (yes I know) is really just a one hander with the female roll less than convincingly tacked on the side. Truly the best of the bunch is the third monologue, looking as it does with some cruel and exposing insight into abuse and love of the abuser from the point of the abused girl.

Tough going, but worth it to see performances such as these. However the writing itself does need to be tightened if the show is to be anything over than a showcase for the two lead performers. Sadly some of this showcase is defused by the omission of the actors names from the program. Doh!

Three and half stars. Well worth seeing but perhaps not if you are feeling a little blue.

Edit - I have tracked down the female actors name : Alice Bonifacio. I'll re-edit when I can find the male actors name.

Edit 2 - I've been supplied with the male actors name: Solomon Mousley :)