With plenty of potential to unearth in this play, Grave Matters never quite manages to bring the bones fully to life.Rating
Ok
In the middle of the night, Detective Brie (Marnie Yule) is woken up to deal with the strange case of Miss Y (Mackie Reyes, who also scripts), a Mexican schoolteacher living in Cardiff. Oddly, she has been found digging up a grave in the dark. Her explanation is far from straightforward and what follows in Grave Matters is a surreal forty-five minutes as the police interrogate her, trying to understand just what she was up to.
The performances are solid individually and Bedwyr Bowen as a trainee detective is a highlight. The character has clearly learnt everything he knows about being a detective from TV shows and tries to bluster and intimidate. Bowen nails the comedic elements of this throughout, also allowing the others to have some great reactions.
Together, the cast don’t always feel like they gel. At times, it feels like they are giving different performances in different plays. Time pauses for Miss Y to jump up and speak to God, seeking advice on how to deal with the police. Then there is the tale of the ritualistic beliefs of an Indonesian tribe and suggestions of the supernatural appear, which leaves the production feeling a little bit all over the place. The individual elements are intriguing, but they don’t come together into a satisfying whole.
There is strength in the humour, particularly in the drier moments, which brings solid laughter. Reyes delivers an underlying tenderness, having a clear interest in grief, belief and the way that people deal with loss – and the bureaucratic admin that must be navigated at times of bereavement. Unfortunately, that emotional core becomes a bit lost among so many other ideas.
Director Megan Brewer has incorporated some strong movement work but the flow feels a little off, at times slightly stop-start as the cast must reposition themselves around the room and light up small hand lights. As the script becomes broad, moments feel forced and somewhat unnatural. There is a lack of urgency by the detectives when a colleague appears to suffer a fit, but then much later a casual mention of getting to medical for treatment. Conflicting details like that make it difficult to really invest in the world.
There is something genuinely interesting at the heart of Grave Matters. The collisions between grief, belief and bureaucracy, and the elements Reyes brings have the potential for a really compelling piece of theatre. However, this production doesn’t quite bring those ideas together and the final scene feels forced and unearned. With more control over the structure and tone, there is nonetheless potential here for something much stronger here.
Written by Mackie Reyes
Directed by Megan Brewer
Produced by Coatlicue Theatre
Grave Matters plays at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre until Thursday 6 August as part of the Camden Fringe.
