As two friends hide away from a possible murder they may have committed, they are left to consider their friendship and whether it is one based on equal terms.Rating
Ok
Nolan (Rio Redwood-Sawyerr) and Fiadh (Jaimee Doyle) are in a bit of a panic as they sprint to her uncle’s cottage: it appears Nolan may have killed the Prime Minister’s son. He is trying to convince himself it was an accident but it’s not sounding too convincing given that the politician’s offspring seems to have been pushed over a balcony. Nor is it helping that Fiadh isn’t offering much real support, almost laughing at the turn of events and seemingly savouring the discomfort her friend is experiencing. And if that wasn’t already enough to deal with, it soon transpires that it isn’t even the only death they are tangled up in: the dinner memorial they have just run away from was for Professor Matthews, whose demise Fiadh may have had a hand in. Well, more than a hand, she did put a stiletto through his skull.
Dead Wrong explores the bonds of friendship and how they can be tested to the max when things go wrong, especially when the friendship is not quite equally balanced to begin with. This aspect works well, with Nolan slowly questioning their relationship as he starts to see Fiadh in a different and rather unflattering light.
As they argue about events, their different backgrounds and the advantages these offer are brought very much to the fore. Hers is one of privilege, money and power. His is more mundane, and he has clearly had to fight for everything he has achieved. It’s this power dynamic that should be explored more clearly. It’s evident that Fiadh’s privilege has led her to feel untouchable, almost laughing off the worries than Nolan feels for what might happen. However, it’s not delved into deeply enough. Instead they flick rapidly over topics: racism, religion, sex, and morality all get an outing. Every one is important and vital but each feels too quickly dismissed as they move onto the next.
As Nolan questions their friendship, it also leaves the audience wondering why he has never done so before. There’s just not enough to make you believe this pair really could have been friends their entire life. With all these differences, with the way Fiadh so clearly manipulates and uses her so-called best friend, how could they ever have lasted so long? And in not being able to believe the central relationship, it makes this night of revelations feel wrong.
There’s also a lack of fluidity between the two performers. Doyle’s Fiadh is strong and bolshy, while Redwood-Sawyerr demonstrates the required nervousness, but together they don’t seem to gel, and there is a stiffness to their exchanges at times. As we reach what should be the dramatic conclusion of Dead Wrong, the tension just doesn’t exist, and there’s no reason to care about what might happen to either of them. It’s difficult even to summon up sympathy for Nolan, a man who has clearly been manipulated into everything. There are also several holes in the plot leading up to this finale: we’re led to believe no one knows where they are, so how do we even reach this end?
There are some grains of promise within the script. The manner in which it begins to address its themes suggests there are plenty of ways it could progress, but there are many questions that need to be asked of itself to get there.
Written by Jaimee Doyle
Produced by Pulp Theatre
Dead Wrong plays in the Studio at theSpaceTriplex until Saturday 29 August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
