Company Along The Mile, Sewell Barn

In a sway of success for UEA drama alumni, writer Tom Bidwell's doing alright for himself. 

After graduating in 2005, Tom was commissioned by the highly accredited BBC’s Writers Academy to produce a play for Radio 4. The play he wrote, drawing on his own life, was entitled Things To Do Before You Die, about a boy dealing with cancer; an honest, funny and poignant piece of drama, which helped make a modest name for Tom as a scriptwriter. He went from this to writing scripts for Eastenders, Holby City and Casualty.

Last year, in another collaboration with the BBC, writing once again about his own battle with cancer, Tom wrote the very funny and very moving short film, Wish 143, which starred Sam Holland and Jim Carter. The film, although it didn’t win, was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Short Film category. Tom, therefore, has a pretty impressive reputation which succeeds him. ‘Company Along the Mile,’ unfortunately, didn’t quite meet those expectations.

In Bidwell’s other work, especially on the themes of adolescence and terminal illness, the writing is powerful and touching. He really captures subjects like these with personal insight and his own unique charm. I couldn’t help but feel that the subject matter of Company Along The Mile – about a lonely transvestite who pays her equally lonely heterosexual ex-lover to sleep with her in a lonely seaside hotel room, and to keep her company in the night – was a little far from Bidwell’s own experiences, and his usual style.

The characters were lacking in depth; Stella (played by Tom O’Sullivan) was little more than a comic figure. Although O’Sullivan played her with subtlety and believability (not simply as a ridiculous drag-act, but actually as quite convincingly feminine… as one audience member asked, with a quizzical expression, “Where did they find such an ugly actress?”) Stella had very little to say, other than a few cutesy, coy remarks. Her character has the potential to be so much more interesting and unique – what with her previous life as ‘Stephen,’ her ongoing affair with George (played by Trevor Burton,) and her isolation from the outside world – yet she came across with about as much depth as Lily Savage.

Don’t get me wrong; the play was very funny. The direction – by UEA lecturer Jonty Rea, and ex-UEA lecturer, John Hyde – demonstrated a wonderful understanding of comic timing, and the fine, comic subtleties of the play; for example when George accidently kills a bellboy (Tom Marshall) with an ornamental jewelry stand. The actors themselves were also wonderfully funny. But apart from being funny, the play, which had so much potential, was so lacking in any real depth of feeling and imagination for me. I sincerely hope that Bidwell – who, to give him credit, deserves his praise as “one of the UK.s most talented young writers” – will return to level of talent with which he wrote Wish 143, and deliver his writing with both the hilarity and profundity he’s capable of.

The Sewell Barn itself is a really delightful theatre. They’re a wonderful amateur company with a real passion for theatre, who put on a wide range of productions every season. This season that includes the epic Les Miserables, the D.H Lawrence adaption, Sons and Lovers, and Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. I strongly recommend the Sewell Barn to anybody who likes a good play. It’s a great place full of friendly staff, fantastic productions and cheap interval booze.

For the heads-up on what’s on at The Sewell Barn this season, go to www.sewellbarn.org