Sunking
by Nick Wilkes

REVIEW: Sunking at Coach House, Malvern THIS drama about struggling to stay afloat when faced with change has a heartbreakingly beautiful end. The final scene sees retired pensioner Randolph alone in a park expressing his anger, his disappointment, and his love for the woman who left. It’s unexpected, it’s funny and it’s touching, much like the rest of MalvernBard’s new production. Playwright Nick Wilkes has captured a quintessentially British feeling of defeat, peppered with hope, in Sunking, which tells the story of three men who have reached crossroads in their lives. The characters are stereotypical, but they’re edgier than his previous creations and the set is impressive. Max, played with plenty of fervour by Adrian Ross-Jones, is a factory worker; a common man unimpressed with jobs being outsourced to India and angered by the demise of the traditional English Breakfast. He is narrow-minded in a way - unable to accept that a woman is capable of proposing, but happy to pass out drunk on a bench and hang out at the nose-bleedinly expensive nightclub with “the youth” - but still a likable guy. It’s cleverly uncomfortable. Murray Andrews is (as always when it comes to MalvernBard) superb as the slightly awkward, annoyed at the world Daniel. He is a businessman for our times whose want to save the environment is somewhat overpowered by his reluctance to actually get his hands dirty and do something. In comes David Rex as fiery pensioner Randolph and Kiera Morgan as Miss Warburton and you have the makings of a thought-provoking comedy drama about reform and change. There are some wickedly witty lines and satisfying plot twists, but one or two of the bigger jokes fall flat. I’m still not sure if Max’s furious rant about sausages was meant to be funny or was simply unnecessary. Either way Sunking is entertaining and well worth a watch. It run at the Coach House, Malvern, until Saturday, February 6. Call 01684 892277 for tickets. Lauren Rogers Worcester News

Lauren Rogers, Worcester