by Ian Diddams
images by Jim McCauley & Bath Drama
Its 3 a.m. You are tired. You are still going round and round in circles in a discussion with a partner, lover, friend about a lover, their lover, a friend’s lover.
Sound familiar? Flashbacks? We have all been there – well, anybody that has any friends and has reached the age of eighteen anyway.
David Hare’s play “Skylight” is all so reminiscent of those long, dark tea times of the soul (to paraphrase Douglas Adams). Over the course of this riveting two and half hour play we are witness to the post match analysis of two ex-lovers (their … “love” … briefly rekindled over the course of half time a.k.a. the interval) exploring their previous, illicit, relationship and the potential for the future.
The play opens, set in the mid-1990s in Kyra’s (Phoebe Fung) flat in Kensal Rise as she returns from work, as a teacher. It is an unglamorous property, and that is being kind. She is soon joined as a total surprise by Edward (Samuel Elliot), a confident eighteen-year old on his gap year. We learn that Edward has had an argument with his father, Tom (Jeremy Fowlds), and has moved out… that Kyra was part of his family household for years. That his mother, Alice, had died. That Kyra had inexplicably left one day. Then a while after Edward has left, Tom arrives. It transpires Kyra and Tom haven’t seen each other for three years. Were ex-lovers. That Alice had found out. And so, Kyra left.
And the talking starts.
“Skylight” is fundamentally a triple duologue, a play in three parts over two acts. Kyra is on stage aside from brief periods out of sight in her bedroom for the entire play. Tom is on stage for much of that too. Edward has what may be called a cameo role by some but still has a hundred lines to deliver, over the prelude (as above) and an epilogue.
The play’s title is derived from a feature from the bedroom of the play’s fourth character that we never see, Alice, who was dieing of cancer. The bedroom’s sloping glass roof is the “Skylight” … and its existence sums up succinctly Tom’s perception of life. Tom is an extremely wealthy self-made restaurant owning businessman (allegedly modelled on Terence Conran) where life is smoothed by the presence of the “Yellow Pages” (remember that?). Everything can be paid for and that’s all that matters. Kyra once lived in this bubble of financial ease but now chooses a life of social fulfilment – passionately too.
And so, to the set. What a set! Hare once apparently said he doesn’t write plays set in a room but as the exception (?) that proves the rule this one is – it is quite literally a kitchen sink drama. All the action is in Kyra’s kitchen/diner/lounge. Anyone reading this that lived in cheap rented accommodation in the 1980s and 1990s will recognise it immediately. Peeling and patched wallpaper, mould on the walls, gas boiler safety certificate so old its ripped mostly off the boiler, scratched lino floor, rusty doored fridge-freezer, grubby paintwork. You can SMELL the lack of upkeep. Delve deeper into the flat and the attention to detail is superb. Mixed library of books from Freud to Shakespeare to Phillip K. Dick to Salinger to Verne. A working sink. Yes. You read that correctly… a WORKING sink. Water comes out of the taps. Goes down a plughole. And the pièce de resistance, the cooking hob. That works. And on which Kyra cooks, on stage, in real time, a spaghetti and sauce dinner. (Incidentally, it smells divine – do make sure you have eaten before you go and see the show because you will be feeling hungry if not!)
Full kudos must be given to the set designer here. Rich Canning, take a HUGE bow, along with your build crew. You could give guided tours of this set. I WANTED to be able to see the bedroom. I WANTED to see the flat’s front walkway and stairs. Absolutely amazing.
Which brings me onto sound and lighting. Once against at the Rondo, Alex Latham has pulled out all the stops. From the “whoomphing” gas boiler to traffic sounds as doors and windows are opened, to running baths, day turning to night turning to day. Another sublime performance in the tech box.
Andy Cork directs, assisted more than ably by Stephanie Richards who also produced the show. Andy’s program notes expand on this, but he has perfectly helped the cast capture the societal divide post-Thatcher, pre-Blair that resonates so much with contemporary Johnson/Truss/Sunak 2020s. So much so that if we were told this was set in 2024 it would be as valid, as meaningful. Possibly even more so. Social bigotry, monetary divide, I’m-all-right-jack, anti-woke, no-lives-matter.
This is all encapsulated in the plot and characterisation, expounded so brilliantly by Phoebe and Jeremy. Tom is one step from the “smelly homeless should be fined” brigade – if that far even. Kyra has a social conscience – or has developed one once freed of Tom’s wealth when she was much younger. And that is the crux of their non-relationship. Despite each other’s strong love for each other still it becomes increasingly clear there is no future. They are poles apart – at one stage I even thought “Why/How do these two even get on? Like each other?” They are the antithesis of each other’s perspectives. Tom crashes though life with a plan that is so focussed he has lost focus on everything else; while he had provided a “Skylight” for his dieing wife he is just Gaslighting constantly. And mainly himself. Maybe even only himself. Kyra has no plan, is drifting, but cares. Passionately cares. About social injustice and Tom’s obvious lack of social conscience. At one point as Kyra rages against the unfairness of society, I was struck by the Jonathan Pie-esque rhetoric, delivery… quite superb. And let’s not forget Samuel as Edward. Edward demonstrates another side of his family. The lost nephew almost for Kyra that arrives in the epilogue, so to speak, to raise Kyra’s spirits, to display tenderness. Tom makes a point that he, Tom, genuinely GIVES because his gifts are without ulterior motives. But in reality, he is not giving at all, he is gifting. Whereas Edward is giving of himself… such that he isn’t really even giving, he is sharing. A sweet portrayal by Samuel.
I could continue in similar vein for pages. I won’t though. The best thing would be for you, dear reader, to grab a ticket and get yourself to the Rondo and see this amazing show. See David Hare’s words come to life through Andy, Stephanie, Phoebe, Jeremy, Samuel, Alex, and Rich’s creativity. We are so blessed with great community theatre in Wiltshire and Bath, but this may well be the best show you see this year.
“Skylight” runs from April 24th to 27th at 1930 each evening at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath.
Tickets available from https://rondotheatre.co.uk/skylight/
devizine.com 