Review: THE POND Is A Poignant Look At Life, Death, Grief And Disappointment Through The Unusual Genre Of Erotic Drama.

Wednesday 30th September 2020, 8pm, Flight Path Theatre

Con Nats' (Playwright) new work THE POND tells a tragic tale of broken dreams, broken bodies, broken relationships and a broken garden water feature as young lovers try to tick off the expected social milestones. Under Deborah Mulhall's direction, Flight Path Theatre's first production out of the Covid19 induced industry shutdown focuses on the need for human connection and the strain relationships can face when communication breaks down.

The Pond of the title serves as a metaphor for a young couple's relationship as the cause mysterious falling water level that threatens the amphibian inhabitants of the backyard feature goes unrecognized for years. As he (Oliver Burton) repatches and reseals the pond each year in an effort to seal the leaks, she (Rosemary Ghazi) keeps pushing for her dream of a child thinking that it too may repair their drifting relationship despite numerous miscarriages that cause crippling depression and push the couple further and further apart.

The entire work is presented as a memory of the evolution of the relationship with a combination of direct to the audience asides where they reveal that, while they tell each other they are happy, they very rarely are. Given the miscarriages are pivotal milestones that change the couple, the changing physicality of the conceptions are used to reinforce the changing sentiment of the characters with explicit expressions set to poetry and music.

The performers create generally likable and relatable characters although at times they become too obvious and give the story a predictability. The explicit nature of the erotic expression, whilst generally having artistic merit does at times seem extreme given the story that has already been told and could be pared back if the work wanted to cater to a wider audience.

THE POND is an intriguing work that regardless of the audiences' experience with miscarriage remains relatable as most people will have been through a relationship breakdown at some point. It serves to reinforce the need for couples to communicate rather than resorting to avoidance measures. It also raises the awareness of the trauma of miscarriage and the importance of obtaining support.

https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/the-pond

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