‘Sea Wall’ has at its core possibly the hardest question we ever ask ourselves. The question is approached obliquely, and there at first appears a lot of light before we reach the darkness of its ending.
The joys of love and family, the wonder of nature and the meaning of belief circle round the focus of Simon Stephens’ work, and it is only in the final minutes of the half-hour long piece we come to realise where we have been taken and why.
Andrew Scott’s Alex appears happy and fulfilled, with a loving wife, delightful child, a job he loves and a father-in-law he shares experiences and intellectually spars with. In our material world, this may be as good as it gets seems the implication. Alex’s continual questioning of his father-in-law’s belief, however, suggests Alex is missing something he can’t or won’t recognise. When it comes, the acknowledgement proves as shattering as the event which precipitates it.
Stephens’ text gives Alex a literate inarticulacy which Scott plays for its full value. Density is presented with a subtlety and sensitivity which honours text and subject, making thirty minutes worth every second spent with the difficulties both Stephens and Scott are wise enough to understate and underplay.
It’s difficult to discuss a play of this length in detail without revelation which could diminish its impact. ‘Sea Wall’ is a very serious attempt to examine death, faith and mourning. Coming at a point when our last link with a ‘lost generation’ has been severed, and hard on continuing deaths in overseas wars, its timing seems particularly apposite.
Originally commissioned for and performed at the Bush Theatre, the current production represents its Scottish premiere.
Dates: 6-16th August
Time: varies - see Fringe programme
copyright Bill Dunlop 2009