Review: BRACE BRACE, Royal Court Theatre
Photo credit: Helen Murray
The Royal Court has landed a winner with its premiere production of Brace Brace. Staggering on jelly legs to the bar to settle our racing pulse, we couldn't believe that this slick, assured and confident show was a newly developed piece.
In an exhilarating and adrenaline fuelled 70 minutes, Brace Brace recounts the living nightmare of Sylvia and Ray as they navigate the aftermath of a plane hijacking and the catastrophic impact on their lives and relationship.
Playwright Oli Forsyth is the recipient of this year's Jerwood New Playwright accolade and he is certainly a talent to watch out for. Beyond the hair-raising novelty of realising an action-packed disaster story onstage, Brace Brace is a nuanced and rounded exploration of trauma, trust and perspective. Forsyth's sharp, witty and flawlessly paced script makes a domestic argument as breathlessly thrilling as a plane plummeting from 30,000 feet.
Brace Brace is a phenomenal achievement from all sides - a thrilling example of true collaboration and synergy between design, direction, production and performance. A wonderful irony given the tension at the heart of Forsyth's play, in which Ray and Sylvia's diverging trauma responses to their experience drive an immovable wedge between them.
Under the meticulous direction of Daniel Raggett, the cast of three don't miss a single beat. Phil Dunster and Anjana Vasan are electric as Ray and Sylvia - they share a gorgeous gentle intimacy as a couple, punctuated by sparky wit and thrilling rage and hurt. Craige Els, who plays a number of supporting character roles with remarkable distinction, completes this strong, balanced trio.
The design of this production by the brilliant Anna Reid is staggeringly effective. The pitched ramp that runs the length of the traverse stage gives an unsettling and vertiginous feeling to the performance, underpinned by Simeon Miller's dizzying lighting and Paul Arditti’s sound design, which keeps an insistent and anxious pulse throughout.
The fight direction by Alex Payne and movement by George Mann is terrifyingly real and interacts ingeniously with the set. As we said, all elements of this production, under the measured and mindful steering of Raggett, blend seamlessly and harmoniously in a textbook showcase of theatrical collaboration.
Brace Brace at the Royal Court is a masterful and beautifully formed production.
Bow, scrape, beg or get onto the box office to get Monday release tickets - Brace Brace is deservedly sold out for the rest of its run but if it ever finds its way to an extension or transfer put everything else on hold and board this absolute ride of a show.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett
Brace Brace plays at London’s Royal Court until 9 November, with further info here.
