Moon

The Nottingham New Theatre Uncut season kicks off with new writing in the unusual location of the Business School Auditorium…

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Staged in Jubilee’s Business school south auditorium Moon by Dave Porter is described in its blurb as “a play that explores…how we can survive in a world we can never fully understand.”

Complex topics of love, loyalty, conspiracy and truth are all explored with mental health issues being insinuated in the latter half of the play and all executed in an effective if not blasé manner.

As far as never fully understanding goes, the play definitely leaves the audience somewhat confused and bewildered.

Scene changes lasted a little too long and transitions between scene acting and breaking the Fourth Wall were sometimes unclear, making it hard at times to follow what was happening.

With that said, the constraints of working in a lecture hall were dealt with effectively; in particular the use of projections to help create and set the tone of scenes as well as provide visual representations of the dialogue.

Some of the best scenes came from the dynamic trio of Dan O’Conner, James Pardon and Tom Sheldon. All three actors successfully used their professional statuses and location to create intense yet comic moments – Sheldon’s debauched portrayal of Graham Faulkner repeatedly drinking whisky from a teapot being a key example.

O’Conner’s progressive fall into insanity showing his denial, fear and final renunciation from society was so effective that, until stated in dialogue (having fallen for his internal fabrications of the truth) we were each battling whether or not this was really the case.

Their imperative roles in the play meant external scenes often felt superfluous and it is questionable whether a play involving these sole characters would have been more effective.

All in all, Dave Porter and his cast succeeded in creating an entertaining and comic piece that touched upon many of life’s bigger questions. However the plot, full of twists and turns at every opportunity, left the multiple narratives difficult to follow and ultimately, the denouement lagging to an awaited close.

Moon concludes tonight (Tuesday 13th) at 6.45 at the Jubilee Campus Business School Auditorium, at a price of just £3.