The Stage

Progress

Published Tuesday 26 January 2010 at 10:00 by Catherine Usher

Lurching unpredictably between comedy and drama, Progress is an intriguing tale about a group of trendy, left-leaning professionals whose existence of smug self-improvement is shaken by the arrival of a hard-up young woman with a real problem.

Set in 1983, the production is awash with music and fashion from the era - the men in particular having fun with hideous haircuts, Miami Vice-style jackets and stonewashed jeans.

Taking place entirely in the central couple Ronee and Will’s sitting room, it soon becomes clear that the cast of eight characters are competing over who has the most problems. But although their circumstances are unfeasibly fraught, the characterisation is convincing.

Lawrence Sheldon does well to add a few extra layers to Mark, the sleazy, morally bankrupt journalist, and his exchanges with the women in particular are hilarious, especially in the context of a decade when political correctness was in its infancy. Victoria Strachan handles the complex role of Ronee capably. Firm and forthright, but at the same time vulnerable and confused, Strachan makes the frequently prickly Ronee sympathetic, eventually displaying the tidal wave of emotions concealed behind the self-assured image she projects.

The contrasting characters of Ronee’s husband Will (Richard Crawley) and domestic violence victim Ange (Amy Dawson) encapsulate the volatile nature of the story and Dawson displays admirable emotional dexterity. Although the U-turns between humour and tragedy will be too abrupt for some, Progress is an engaging play that throws up plenty of surprises.