NIGHTINGALE AND CHASE by Zinnie Harris. Royal Court to 27 October.

London

NIGHTINGALE AND CHASE
by Zinnie Harris

Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs To 27 October 2001
Runs 1hr 10min No interval

TICKETS 020 7565 5000
Review Timothy Ramsden 6 October

A two-hander on prison's aftermath leaves undecided questions on the impact of the institution and the individual.Zinnie Harris says that fortyish Nightingale and his young wife Chase (they're not married but with their son Scott make up a virtual family) look an unlikely couple. The monologue sandwich she offers goes part way to explaining why.

Chase is just out of prison; the journey home was full of friction and the welcome Nightingale had planned is soured when she starts complaining he's let the hedge grow. She's no longer a child-bride; in jail she's grown up. And she instantly flees Nightingale's settled world. Conviction for fraud and shoplifting is leading to a life sentence of separation.

Why depends who you believe. Listening to Chase at the play's centre, you'd see a loving mother keenly paying her son a surprise visit at school, spending the limited money she has on presents. And needing to get free, to live a life separate from her husband.

But the presents were stolen and her visit disturbed Scott so much he broke another pupil's nose, action right out of character.

Is this the effect of prison? Sending out drifters who restlessly inhabit a world of transients' institutions - hostels, coach terminals - unable to fit in anywhere? Or is there something in Chase that's made her like this, unable to stay with her old man? Why did she settle with him originally? We see how she passes time but not what makes her tick.

This partly comes from a disparity in the performances Richard Wilson draws from his cast. Christopher Fulford's Nightingale suggests a vulnerable, embarrassed man, stirring his conscience when things don't go well. Whereas Jody Watson's Chase, whose disturbed life has not touched her immaculate hairstyle or make-up, relies on a limited range of tones, telling us only that she's upset with things. His words reveal character; hers become a mask.

Nightingale: Christopher Fulford
Chase: Jody Watson

Director: Richard Wilson
Designer: Angela Davies
Lighting: Johanna Town
Sound: Paul Arditti

2001-10-07 01:01:15