Review: Provenance, Barons Court Theatre

In this two-hander, characters from supposedly different generations and economic backgrounds, through a mentoring scheme, collide together, bringing challenge and heat, or at least that is what it could have had. 

As the show opens we watch Patrick, played by Saul Marron – who’s stage presence is comfortable and inviting – working in his studio. The space is untidy, music plays, wine is opened, all very much the image of a grappling creative. Here, however, straight into it all, we are forced to observe a man not really doing anything, a paint stroke here, a sip of wine there, for far too long. The approach is naturalism, but has no real life behind it. It is slow and empty. That emptiness unfortunately becomes a characteristic throughout most of the production, manifesting in the contained emotional landscape and lack of variation in character tactics. 

The directorial choice to keep the opening slow is clearly there to aid the punchy entrance of Martha Lyn’s Ellie, whose arrival does throw us into a script that is sharp and at times witty. Both performers deliver the text with a quick fire pace which is impressive and a welcomed dynamic shift. This, however, soon becomes monotonous and predictable and we’re left wanting something new to grab hold of.

Jon Skinner’s script forces these two contrasting characters together, each becoming a mirror to the other, but then drops all of that potential drama when moving into what might be considered the second half, when Ellie’s true identity is revealed. 

The second half brings a far more settled back and forth between two characters who aren’t as different to one another as the first pair. It’s nice and holds some honesty, with the final moment between them before the lights go down easy to watch. The good stuff, however, is in the relationship between this belligerent teen and weathered artist, the potential for danger in Ellie’s sexually fuelled quips and Patricks defensiveness. But none of this really gets space to exist and any hope of it getting there is then snuffed out by the almost, if you blink at the wrong time you’ll miss it, moment of Ellie’s reveal.

The script and actors both have more potential than what is presented. The actors hold obvious skill, looking comfortable and present on stage and with further direction could work towards performances that hold more nuance and specificity. The script too, clearly has dynamic moments waiting to be explored but this production doesn’t dig deep enough.

Written by: Jon Skinner
Directed by: Sharon Willems

Provenance runs until Saturday 28 June at the Barons Court Theatre.