Brighton Comes to London via Edinburgh

It has been said that 2008 was not the best year for the Edinburgh festival. However this play, Pebbles on the Beach, was one of the highlights and has transferred down to London for a short run at The Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington.

Written by Joanna Pinto and directed by Timothy Hughes, the Weaver Hughes Ensemble presents this complex and moving exploration – mostly set in Brighton – of the life-long impact of adoption.

This theatre is a real gem. Above a bustling pub in Islington, the tiny room consists of three rows of comfy seats complete with plush red cushions. The place is so tiny; you have to walk across the pebbles on the set to get to your seat, and once it starts you feel you are part of the play. But this just adds to the intensity of the evening. The proximity of the performance, the clever lighting and the emotional content has the whole audience gripped. Yet, despite the intimacy of the venue and the intensity of the material, the atmosphere manages to remain relaxed.

At the centre of the play is Leo, played by the talented Michael Armstrong. Now 27, he was told by his father (Ian Draper) at age 11 that he was adopted. This bombshell was dropped on a family day-trip to the seaside. The ensuing feeling of rejection, and the typical story of father/son repressed emotions, leads to the breakdown of the relationship, and all Leo has left are letters and postcards of useless advice, void of emotion.

Leo now finds himself back on a beach, this time in Brighton. Trapped here on a journey of self discovery, he continually searches for answers to the questions that have been haunting him, in a desperate bid to define himself.

As if he is dreaming, key figures from his life (played by Annabel Cleare and Jenny Rowe) appear on the beach. Gradually his past is pieced together as he re-lives his own memories and the memories of those close to him. All these little things, the pebbles on the beach, come together to make Leo realise who he is, but is it too late?

A difficult subject to approach and at times not an easy play to watch, Pebbles on the Beach is an emotional yet beautiful portrayal of the lasting effects of regret and missed opportunity. The peppering of humour, including a quirky reference to the parenting issues raised in Star Wars, is a welcome relief from the dark subject matter. The intimate theatre and the simple set design ensure that the cast are the focus. Their powerful performances and the emotional interaction between the characters carry this off perfectly.

Pebbles on the Beach is showing until 22nd November 2008

Old Red Lion Theatre
418 St John Street
London EC1V 4NJ

Box office: 020 7837 7816

Image courtesy of the Weaver Hughes Ensemble