BWW Reviews: THAT FACE, Landor Theatre, November 14 2013

Mummy's boys, daddy's girls and a family falling apart form the centre of Polly Stenham's breakthrough play THAT FACE, now revived at the tiny Landor Theatre. This is a play that has a maturity that belies the playwright's years, written at just 19 and barely a year older than protagonist Henry. Wit and intensity are delivered in equal measure in a clever script that moves along at blistering pace.

A large bed effectively takes the place of the stage in Rachel Stone's stark design. All the action - from the opening boarding school bullying to mother Martha's mental deteriation - takes place on or around it. It's a brave idea and but in such a small theatre it can dominate a little too much, taking too much focus away from the actors. This is a shame as some of the performances are really top-notch.

Caroline Wildi delivers a spine-tingling performance as Martha. She flicks between vulnerability and manipulation at will, wrapping her long suffering and loving son, Henry (Rory Fleck-Byrne), around her little finger. Fleck-Byrne delivers naïve hope with aplomb as the pretty boy artist - doing everything he can to save his mum. The relationship between the two seems almost oedipal, and builds to a superb row half way through once she realises he may be slipping away from her. With such intense drama on stage, Stenham is well aware of the importance of humour to take The Edge off and avoid a fall into melodrama.

Stephanie Hyam also impresses, showing a real depth of character to the troubled daughter Mia. She combines well with Fleck-Byrne as two siblings taking very different approaches to tackling the hell they find themselves in. Their chemistry is clearly evident on stage and the two display real affection for each other.

Seeing such bare emotion up-close really plays to the Landor's strengths. Unfortunate staging decisions aside, it's clear that six years on from its award winning debut, THAT FACE has stood the test of time.

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