Review: Blackbird @ Theatre By The Lake, Keswick (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Review: Blackbird @ Theatre By The Lake, Keswick

5:33pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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LIKE a blackbird pecking away at the carcass of a dead mammal, Una picks over the incident that was the death of her innocence.

But is Ray, the man she hasn’t seen for 15 years, the victim of the affair or the grim reaper of her joy for life?

This is the question you keep going back to as you are drawn into Blackbird, a Theatre by the Lake production.

Janine Hales gives a strong performance as Una, dominating the stage from the moment she walks onto the factory rest room set.

Peter MacQueen as Ray appears the weaker of the two – but the slow burn gives his performance the greater impact in the end. As the one act play unfolds his true character is peeled away, layer-by-layer.

The Keswick theatre’s studio is the perfect setting for this emotionally charged play – the utter hatred of a character is etched upon the faces of the audience members sitting opposite, as the nature of the couple’s former relationship a decade-and-a-half ago unfolds.

David Harrower’s script keeps you asking yourself – what is the truth?

The tension between Una and Ray is intense thanks to the brilliant performances by the actors.

The fight scenes – directed by Kate Waters – brought the drama to a climax.

Blackbird runs until November 4

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