[star rating =3/5]
THIS very simple story exploring family, grief and healing was touching in places, but was a bit too thin to feel genuine. The length of the play may have had something to do with it, the production ended up watering down some very complex emotional issues to an extent that it felt almost childish in explanation.
The story consisted of a grieving family trying to get through their sorrows with the help of their imaginary friend Doodle. With music inspired by musicals such as The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Mary Poppins woven in throughout, there was a quiet and very peaceful feel to the production.
There were some really emotionally charged moments in the play, like when Henry (the son) confronted his father and called him Chris.
The father of the family was by far the most effected by the tragedy, taking to drink to drown his feelings. But everything was tied off and resolved too quickly, too easily.
All it took was a little intervention from Doodle, and everything suddenly turned out okay.
While Doodle’s role did make this production feel a little cheesy, the actor who played him did an undeniably good job. Cheeky, friendly and full of life, he made the character impossible not to warm to.
The actor who played Chris didn’t seem too great at first, but his performance did somewhat improve as the play progressed.
As for the rest, their performances ranged from relatively good to just half-decent. All in all, the production had a very amateur feel to it that could have done with some more depth to the storyline and character development.
