Chris Omaweng

Other times, however, much of the audience knew what was going on – I don’t recall, for instance, ever being asked to use a pulse oximeter, and therefore had no idea why a result of 58 (as Rosen’s was before he was admitted to hospital) drew audible gasps from the audience at the Old Vic. The lack of sentimentality made for an engaging experience, as were the inclusions of conversations Rosen had with hospital staff in the weeks and months, and even years, after he was discharged. A unique and extraordinary show.

It’s not clear, at least not to me, whether this is meant to be a play about crypto (every single character has a reason to express strong emotions and opinions on it at some point or other) more than it is meant to be about family dynamics and cross-cultural clashes. The active role of the Church in Manny’s community, and therefore in this story, is interesting to note in an era of declining religious adherence. Perhaps the good book has a point when it talks about nobody being able to serve two masters at once. A strong cast but a sprawling narrative make for a mixed bag of comedy and confrontation.

The first ‘half’ (inverted commas mine) was surprisingly brief, which meant a rather lengthy second ‘half’. That the specifics of Tom’s conviction weren’t immediately made clear helped to maintain a level of interest and intrigue throughout – more details were still coming out well into the second act. Plenty of food for thought in this gritty and intricately complex story.

There are some very earnest attempts to maximise dramatic effect in this melodrama, which has very lush orchestrations – the production has already made headlines for having an eighteen-strong orchestra in a venue that seats a maximum of 265 – but an almost absurdly clunky set. The slotting together of set pieces and pulling apart of others could be audibly heard behind curtains that had been drawn across the stage during supposedly more private scenes. The stage-wide fixed staircase, regularly used throughout, wouldn’t look out of place at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (capacity: 2,196), and the costumes are all suitably from the interwar period.