Boo is the central character and the name comes from Boo Radley, the elusive, near mythical figure in To Kill A Mockingbird. There are similarities.
Neighbourhood myths have also grown around this Boo. He too has a learning disability and is rarely seen. Young Kelly Spanner, a girl from another part of town, goes missing and the posters go up. Could Boo be responsible? A boy and his sister watch his front door, daring each other to knock.
Mike Kenny’s new play, for Mind The Gap, is a probing, multi-layered work. It simmers and stirs and does not present Boo’s world in absolute terms. Much is asked of its actors, who are all learning disabled and they respond with magnificent vigour.
Jonathan Ide plays Boo in a performance of tremendous emotional honesty, balancing his character’s curiosity with deep anxiety. His moments of reactive wit are delivered with laconic charm. Playing Boo’s brother and carer is the fast maturing Alan Clay, a Mind the Gap regular and graduate of the company’s training schemes.
Robert Ewens and JoAnne Haines are the boy and the girl. They enjoy a touchingly rough and tumble, in and out relationship. They have a playful, pre-show session of banter and chat, a useful device and it sounds pleasantly improvised.
Premiered at Mind The Gaps’ new studios and using new levels of equipment this play has projected scenery of astonishing quality - and a projected BSL interpreter. It should be considered a landmark production.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Content is copyright © 2012 The Stage Media Company Limited unless otherwise stated.
All RSS feeds are published for personal, non-commercial use. (What’s RSS?)
