Writer: Charlie Dunne
Director: Benedict Esdale
Ben – poor, innocent Ben – is kind of a loser. He’s a sweet guy, really. He’s thinking about popping the question this year to his girlfriend of seven years, Lottie. On this night, he’s hit the pub for a round with his friend Johnny to help him through a tough imminent breakup. All seems well for Ben, certainly nothing to foreshadow his ruthless disassembly-to-come.
So, what’s the problem? In short, Johnny. He’s been having an affair with Ben’s girlfriend, and the bomb is sure to drop soon now that Johnny’s girlfriend, Bella (Ciara Kaighin Adams), has uncovered their scandal. So, as the pub crawl ends prematurely at Ben and Lottie’s apartment, two-thirds of the guests find themselves in a social minefield.
It’s made all the worse by Ben’s boyish character. Ned Campbell brings all of the corny authenticity one could possibly ask for to the role; it’s impossible not to love him. He’s more of a man than unemployed, forlorn actor Johnny, there’s no doubt of that. But there’s a sort of liveliness in Johnny’s bohemian drifting that sidesteps the doldrums of Ben’s bland lifestyle. Being boring isn’t a crime, however, and when Bella arrives at the homestead, it’s exceedingly tense to watch Ben in the viper’s nest of the informed. The wise, if you will.
Folly To Be Wise orbits around the breaking point. The tension that arises from the information bomb begs the question of whether Ben can withstand a biblical betrayal from both his best friend and his partner. The fallout takes on an almost American Psycho level of abrupt escalation as Ben undergoes a sort of undeserved ego death.
Charlie Dunne’s text is funny, tense, and a bit pulpy. The drama isn’t always believable, but it’s certainly entertaining. The story is somewhat heavy-handed on the exposition and subtext, but great playing from all actors steps up the whole performance. Giorgio Morelli shows a wide spectrum of real emotion, which fortifies his Johnny, the charismatic, unreliable narrator. Campbell is just terribly relatable. His wholesome naïveté will likely look familiar to nearly any audience member. To boot, Rosa Collier’s Lottie is bold and fiery when spitting Dunne’s standard-fare relationship retorts, as is Ciara Kaighin Adams as Belle.
Above all else, Dunne lays the tension on thick, and a talented cast delivers it in full and then some. The lack of a strong theme matters little to an audience on the edge of their seats. Folly To Be Wise is hectic and tense right up until the final moments. It’s well worth a visit to see the leading duo’s friendship melt (and the harrowing finale).
Runs until 7 December 2024
