LEVELLAND - Assembly Rooms Ballroom (Sunday 6th August)
This year's Guy Masterton produced play is the Rich Hall penned Levelland.
Hall's debut is set in a radio station in Texas with a backdrop of opinionated callers and a more opinionated host. The action takes place in the future where a gallon of oil is costing $10 and blackouts are common place, interupting the radio broadcasts, but the broadcasts are even more interupted when an intruder breaks in to the studio and starts to tell a far fetched story of conspiracies, the oil industry and the ability to divine for oil. All of which leaves the talk host, Wayman Tisdale (played by Hall) and the audience wondering if everyone really is who they say they are.
Despite Hall's pedigree, the play isn't done for laughs. It's a serious, straight play, but there are some nice one liners and it's the satire and social comment that carry it along and after a slowish start, it really does grip the audience.
The stand out performance is from Rory Keenan as the renegade Scrope, a character who may or may not be who he appears to be. It's a strong performance and Kennan shares almost equal stage time with Hall from the start.
It's a very enjoyable and thought provoking 80 minutes and another winner from Masterton and another festival rave from Hall.
BDH Rating: 4 / 5
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