REVIEW: BROOKLYN, Cock Tavern Theatre, September 10 2009

Photo credit: Felix Kunze

In a small, not especially cosy apartment in the New York borough, teenage siblings Lindsay (Jessica Ashworth) and Brian (Michael Goldsmith) are trying to kill a rat. While they may not be having much luck with their weapons of choice (two sink plungers and a rolling pin), they stand quite a good chance of driving the rodent out with its paws over its ears thanks to the machine-gunned expletives they repeatedly spit at each other and their unwanted furry houseguest.

Writer Rose Martula has a wonderful ear for vulgarity, and her dialogue crackles in the air, with the actors clearly relishing the lines they are given. There's a great chemistry between the actors and the scene is apparently set for a knockabout, richly comic piece. However, the mood changes dramatically in the second scene, set one year later, with the arrival of their father Saul (Jud Charlton), a coke-sniffing shambles of a man who's overly enamored of the sound of his own voice. Lindsay becomes quieter and more introverted, Brian more scornful and dripping with barely-suppressed fury, and the play itself echoes Saul's ever-changing moods, switching from moments of quickfired barbs between the family to darker, more tense moments as an air of menace invades their apartment.

Here the family dynamic is well drawn and the one-liners continue to sting the characters and amuse the audience in equal measure, but the steps into more sombre territory are where the play falters, as the family's backstory and motivations become foggy and unclear, ultimately building towards a resolution that feels incomplete. However, a trio of sharp performances, the aforementioned punchy dialogue and a slender running time ensure the piece doesn't outstay its welcome - unlike the rat.

Brooklyn is at the c*ckTavern Theatre until 26 September 2009. Read Carrie's interview with playwright Rose Martula here.

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