Review | 2X2 at The Spring Arts Centre: 'Well worth your pennies and your patronage'

Script-wise these are two very different offerings; Whose To Tell? examines family relationships and what right we have to know our own stories, our own histories while Freehold tells a charming and hilarious love-story.

Jacquie Penrose’s text is fluid, free-moving and natural.

A mother and daughter, trapped in extraordinary circumstances, pull their relationship to pieces to examine how they are where they are – with home-truths aplenty coming to the surface and a justifiable sense of betrayal on both sides becoming evident.

Are they both in the right? Absolutely.

Are they both justified in the steps they’ve taken? Absolutely.

The text is a glorious exploration of how we can be completely right and completely wrong at the same time.

Playing the mother and daughter are Kia Wilson and Jessica Jones, respectively.

The performances are solid but I would have liked more stillness – there’s a lot of needless walking around – and perhaps some more vocal variety.

That said – the pain in the relationship and the fear it generates is well-played.

Freehold, on the other hand, is a riot.

On opening night the show was struck by the illness of actor Megan Green and hastily-mustered cover Janice Halsey stepped in to play the bonkers Mavis.

Mavis is looking to buy a flat and when she can’t gain access to inspect the property, she knocks on the door of the downstairs neighbour, invites herself in and makes herself – almost literally – at home.

Halsey played the part reading from a script. Yes – occasionally she stumbled but her performance was probably the finest of the evening.

She threw caution to the wind, jumped into the Mavis-pool and swam for her life.

She was paired in this by the wonderful Andy Rees as John, the unsuspecting neighbour whose home and life are invaded.

Rees’s handling of Goldsmith’s Pinteresque dialogue was masterful and the whole piece is joyous.

As an evening of locally-created theatre it is well worth your pennies and your patronage.

Until Saturday.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Subscribe here for unlimited access to all our coverage, including Pompey, for just 26p a day.