Eventide, theatre review: No big denouements or revelations, but hugely recommended

Barney Norris is a writer-chronicler to be cherished, says Fiona Mountford, and his words meander deftly over a range of topics
Quiet melancholy: James Doherty as landlord John, part of an intriguing trio
Fiona Mountford28 September 2015

Barney Norris, 28, is a rare and precious talent in the sphere of young British playwrights, ploughing as he does a lonesome but remarkably fertile furrow. His subject isn’t fast-pace, high-anguish urban youth, but instead a rural world of quiet melancholy, of low-key multi-generational characters who are struggling to find their way now that old certainties are crumbling. He is, in short, a writer-chronicler to be cherished.

Visitors, his debut play last year, was an exquisite look at the end of a long and happy marriage of a farming couple. We’re back in the countryside now, in a pub which has long been the heartbeat of its small community. On the outside decking of The White Horse, we meet landlord John (James Doherty), church organist Liz (Ellie Piercy) and young local Mark (Hasan Dixon), who’ll take any old job just to pay the rent.

They’re a rare and intriguing trio; none of them are greedy for more, but simply want to hold onto what they’ve got. And that, unfortunately, is getting harder by the day. As the three of them muse, banter and take stock, Norris’s writing meanders deftly over a range of topics, not least the pivotal cohesive role of pubs and churches in England’s villages.

There are no big denouements or revelations — Norris isn’t that sort of writer — but instead a gentle wistfulness, coupled with a surprising tenacity, suffuses Alice Hamilton’s confident production. Hugely recommended.

Until October 17, Arcola Theatre (020 7503 1646, arcolatheatre.com)

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