Review: Folly To Be Wise, Hen and Chickens

There’s a hint of melancholy from the off in Folly To Be Wise, as Ben (Ned Campbell) notes wistfully to his old friend Johnny (Giorgio Morelli) that “you start to lose people, even if it’s not on purpose” as you get older. The pair haven’t seen each other in a while, but they’ve known one another since childhood. It’s the kind of bond that you can never really break, no matter what happens; your parents will always know what’s going on with them, and vice versa.

It soon becomes clear that things aren’t going all that well for Johnny. He’s given up on acting, instead heading into the thrilling world of insurance – a life that will be “good enough”, as Ben says encouragingly. On top of that, his girlfriend’s just broken up with him. Infidelity, on his part. Ben, on the other hand, is doing alright. He’s in a long-term relationship with plans to get married, and has a restless optimism that keeps him in constant motion. Campbell is almost unbearably buoyant compared to Morelli’s laid-back Johnny, a well-balanced contrast that doesn’t tip too far into pantomime.

The introduction of Ben’s partner Lottie (Rosa Collier) adds another level of contrast, a slightly prickly character whose work with Campbell, particularly, is brilliant to watch. She cuts through his light-heartedness without qualm, offering a less optimistic view on their life together.

It’s clear from the start that Johnny has an alternative motive. He’s not just there for a few pints with an old friend, there’s an agenda hinted at through a brief phone call that opens the play; he has to tell Ben something, it’s the “only way”. The underlying unease that this creates is maintained throughout, a low-level discomfort that gradually builds up to a hiding-behind-your-hands intensity.

One of the best moments of the play is the denouement, which feels Noël Coward-like in both its construction and execution. All but one of the characters is in possession of information that will forever change their relationships, and they wield it like a knife. Bella (Ciara Kaighin Adams) is like a heat-seeking missile, ready to burn it all down while Johnny is desperate to control the situation. It’s tragic, comic and expertly performed, the cast never missing a beat and the tension between them is manipulated like a rubber band, ebbing and flowing, bouncing from one configuration to the next. It’s excellent.

Unfortunately, the third act does then let the play down. From the slightly amped-up, tragicomic reality of the story so far, things take a darker turn that doesn’t quite work. The sudden introduction of violence and the upping of the stakes feels obtrusive, and although the intention of the tonal shift is interesting it’s somewhat disappointing after the humour of what precedes it. There’s also a distinct slowing of pace, which drags things down further. Everything starts to feel a bit Eastenders Christmas special and slightly too over-the-top, leaving the strong characterisations built up so well over the hour now eroded.

Folly To Be Wise is clever but tries to be a little too wily with its final twists. That said, the show is nonetheless extremely entertaining. In the first half especially, it shines both in writing and performances. 

Written by: Charlie Dunne

Directed by: Benedict Esdale

Produced by: Scallywag Studios

Folly To Be Wise plays the Hen and Chickens until 7th December. Further information and booking are available here.