The Ruffian on the Stair

Corpus Playroom, Tue 8th – Sat 12th Oct, 7pm, £6/5

Joe Orton’s The Ruffian on the Stair is a darkly comedic play, exhibiting the more sinister sides of Britain’s ominous capital. Performed in the Corpus Playroom, the performance is slightly inconsistent in quality, yet on the whole is able to captivate the audience’s attention with its impassioned and convincing acting.

The Playroom is transformed into a sober living room, depicting 1960s working class Britain. The small venue lent itself well to a play such as this, making the audience feel part of the room, eavesdropping into the characters’ private lives. The simple, almost drab staging fit well with the underlying themes of the play, while the use of the Playroom’s main entrance as part of the house, with characters emerging and disappearing constantly as they carried out their day-to-day tasks, was an interesting way to make the atmosphere even more pervasive.

From the outset it is clear that Kim Jarvis as Joyce, a desperate ex-prostitute married to a hit-man, will carry much of the play’s emotional weight. Her character’s tirades are essential for plot development and while these outbursts may not always be convincing, Jarvis faces the challenge head on, delivering a number of emotionally gripping performances – this is perhaps most evident during a highly-wrought scene in which someone attempts to invade her flat.

Joyce’s husband, played by Tom Stuchfield, is shown to be a manipulative thug with little respect or trust for his wife or anybody else. Unfortunately, Stuchfield’s overall performance lacks the emotional depth required for such a complex character, and instead felt a little flat – this was especially evident next to the high energy performances of the other cast members.

The highlight of the play, however, has to be the storyline involving the character Wilson, played by George Longworth. Gunning after an increasingly bizarre revenge (no spoilers here!), we witness Longworth’s compelling performance as he plays clever mind games, driving the other characters to near madness. The way in which Longworth switches with agility between the role of cute boy and vicious rapist was impressive, showing his versatility as an actor. There were instances, however, where the emotional depth of the acting did not quite measure up to the intensity required by the play – this was especially evident during the final scenes between Joyce and Wilson.

Despite this slight inconsistency in quality of acting, at the end of the play I was left with a marked loathing for Longworth’s character, and in this sense he stood out in this performance. All in all, this one-hour, one-act play may not be the best thing you’ll see all term, but is still gripping enough to deserve a recommendation.