DramaLondonReview

Brace Brace – Royal Court Theatre, London

Reviewer: Charlie Ellis

Writer: Oli Forsyth

Director: Daniel Raggett

Just as a new phase of their lives is starting, newlyweds Ray and Sylvia are plunged almost to their deaths when a paranoid hijacker takes control of the plane. Sylvia is able to revive the pilot, saving everybody’s life as her husband is choked to unconsciousness, and so begins the fallout from this traumatic event. The couple seesaws wildly between needing to be the only one there and needing collective understanding as they grapple with the events that occurred.

Playwright Oli Forsyth wrote Brace Brace after his experience on a similar hijacked flight. He assures us this is not a true story, possibly because the idea that anything like this could happen in a post-9/11 world requires a good bit of suspension of disbelief. But we suspend it, mainly due to the exemplary performances from the three-strong cast. Anjana Vasan, as the feisty Sylvia, brings real heart and pace to her character, who goes from zero to one hundred after some shocking news is revealed to her live on air. Phil Dunster, as the always charming and often resentful Ray, again brings some much-needed measure to the frantic script, and Craig Els, who plays an ensemble of characters including the hijacker and the pilot, has exceptional range.

The star of the show, however, is the design. The full team, Anna Reid (stage design), Paul Arditti (sound) and Simeon Miller (lights), transforms the space into a dark, ominous aeroplane with overhead strip lighting and an angular ramp that descends ominously into the ground in the first 10 minutes, the audience also plummeting to the ground at 40,000 feet. The play really shines in its TV-esque action-heavy drama. It’s after this, when the dust settles and the alarms stop blaring, that Forsyth’s script starts to lose its way.

Brace Brace looks at survivorship from a truly unique angle. It covers false memories, conspiracy theories, blame and hero-worship, but it fails to truly capture the humanity in the unimaginable. Forsyth leans heavily on a worn-out style of writing that stumbles on its own humour into high-octane, well-rehearsed arguing, not leaving much room for the spark of something more exciting. Luckily, the outstanding performances and production make Brace Brace an engaging and thrilling watch.

Runs until 9th November 2024

The Reviews Hub Score

Not for the faint hearted

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The Reviews Hub London is under the editorship of Richard Maguire. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.

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