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Darbourne Luff presents the world premiere of The Maddening Rain
by Nicholas Pierpan
Directed by Matthew Dunster
Set and Costume Design: Alison McDowall
Lighting Design: Emma Chapman
Sound Design: David Sharrock
Old Red Lion Theatre
31 Aug – 18 Sept 2010
A review by James Buxton for EXTRA! EXTRA! Nicholas Pierpan is the two time winner of the Cameron Mackintosh Award for New Writing and is currently developing two film scripts. A poet as well as a playwright, Pierpan is clearly a prolific writer with a talent for capturing the authentic rhythms of everyday speech. The Maddening Rain is a single hander performed by Felix Scott. Scott plays an ambitious young man originally from Leicester who moves to North London, intent on making a name for himself. From his humble origins, working at his friend's bowling alley to gradually securing a job in a bank, he eventually procures a lowly position in the world of corporate finance as a tea boy for the traders. Yet, he realizes after the death of his school friend Will, who helped him get the job, that where you work can be just as important as what you do. However, he soon becomes disillusioned with the lifestyle of quick money, fast cars, and trophy girlfriends and yearns for the stress free, simplicity of his youth. But when he meets up with his child hood sweetheart, Sarah, he realizes that he can never go back to that lifestyle, leading him to a moment of madness with irreversible consequences. On entering the theatre, one is confronted by the wooden framework of the back of a set - McDowall creates an intentionally odd sense of being excluded from the play, with the audience wondering where the action is going take place. However once the play begins, the back of the set is burst open by Scott who appears, standing in the doorway. His white walled office lies behind him, blinds drawn over the window, on his desk a computer screen shows graphs of stocks and trading information while a copy of the FT and other objects give the impression of someone working in the City. Scott's performance is magnetic as he carries the show for its entirety. He appears initially as a cocky city boy in his striped shirt, purple tie and suit, standing authoritatively in the doorway with his legs apart. His eyes narrow as he eyes the crowd, with the kind of arrogant swagger of someone who would treat you no better than the dirt on his shoe. Scott has reason to be so self satisfied, for his character has come up through the ranks with only two A-levels and no contacts. He is a self made man whose opportunistic talent and sharp intuition of how business works allows him to achieve the position and respect he duly obtains. Despite his achievements, he carries a large chip on his shoulder, stemming from his lack of education and poor background. Scott portrays his uncertain nature and desperation when he re enacts in moments such as meeting his future boss or girlfriend's friends with a pathetic desire to please, which contrasts nicely with the self assured status he presents for most of the play. Scott's impersonations of these characters is captivating and he truly manages to create whole new personae by simply turning his back on the audience and shouting expletives as Andy, the big shot friend he double crosses or by adopting a posh, rah rah accent and floating about. Scott captures a broad variety of City traders, which he delightfully parodies. Pierpan's script is incredibly evocative of London as he brings to life the geography of the city through his constant referencing of street names and places. “through Paradise Park, down Liverpool Street, right on Upper Street” This really allows the audience to depict his journey in their mind's eye, as he makes his way through the seething metropolis. It is also particularly apt that The Old Red Lion is situated in Angel, North London where the play takes place. The Maddening Rain brings the frenetic world of London's City trading to life through one character, who is a walking contradiction. At one moment he appears vulgar and selfish while at another he seems compassionate and lost. Pierpan shows that in this tough guy atmosphere of reckless gambling and million pound deals, where everyone is in competition with everyone else to assert their manhood and make the biggest bonus, underneath all these ego's there are real people who are in a constant state of anxiety, where their lives are as erratic as the jagged graphs of the investments that they depend on.
Old Red Lion BOX OFFICE 020 7837 7816 Tues 31 August to Sat 18 September 2010 Tickets from £11
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