Review: THE LAST NIGHT OUT, Three Coin Theatre - Brighton Fringe
Photo credit: Peter Williams
Three Coin Theatre’s new two-hander play The Last Night Out, written by Paul Bradley, directed by Sarah Dormady and produced by Susie Blundell, has made its debut at Sweet@The Poets Theatre at the 2023 Brighton Fringe.
When Sophie, played by Georgie Banks, re-appears in David's (Paul Bradley) life after their close friendship abruptly ended a year before. The two are forced to face questions about themselves, each other and what they should do next.
Bradley’s script has a gorgeous flow that beautifully touches on serious issues about self worth and addiction. His words perfectly shed light on the issues that David and Sophie face through powerful word-play alongside great moments of hilarious comedy and dark humour. He excellently creates a space for two likeable characters despite each one's blatant flaws.
Bradley’s performance is both fun to watch and heartwarming to see. His character’s comedic, frustrating phone conversations to his mum are a highlight. Bradley has a gorgeous way of capturing the annoyance of the little things in life, showing they really can make things so much worse.
Banks maintains the most wonderful level of calmness throughout her performance. She has a gorgeous way of remaining such a fierce and strong character, all through a calm and comforting manner. She brings a great warmth to the piece which is both impressive and incredibly comforting. She definitely has a talent for this and executes the character well.
Dormady’s directing choices are both lovingly warm and wonderfully subtle. Dormady manages to keep the piece both visually entertaining and beautifully intimate. Something that can be difficult in a small space. Sarah's choice to have every prop and set piece dotted around the space allows us to see the character's story for what it is, a very open and frank story. This is a lovely decision that plays in their favour.
The Last Night Out is a play worth seeing. A few questions are left unanswered in an attempt to fit the piece into the allotted 1-hour time slot given by the Fringe. It would have been lovely to see the moment when the two characters meet again in the pub. The play begins mid-conversation which caused us to spend the first ten minutes or so piecing together the relationship of David and Sophie. However, Bradley’s writing is something we look forward to seeing in the future. This play definitely has a life beyond the Fringe.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Josiah Eloi