Darkly funny kidnapping four-piece has battle of ideology versus cynicism

Gagarin Way
Progress Theatre
Saturday, October 4

GAGARIN Way is so darkly funny that it could be a black hole with no light escaping at all. No light, maybe, but it’s still an 80-minute chuckle-fest with some laugh-out-loud moments.

Perhaps there shouldn’t be too much humour from a kidnap and murder storyline, but director Ali Howarth manages to deal with that by making the three main performances just a little larger than life. They’re still believable but we know we’re dealing with the abnormal.

First among these equals is Adam Wells as Eddie whose projection, mannerisms and attitude gave a terrifying portrayal of a very clever sociopath.

Eddie wants the thrill of doing harm, of destroying, and the scariest part of that is that, as his accomplice points out, he has nothing in his childhood and background to justify it; he’s just a bad man who enjoys quoting existentialism and hurting people.

Adam Wells pulls this off with room to spare and he sets the tone for the entire piece.

We know this will be no drawing-room comedy from the opening 30 seconds when Eddie machine-guns out a series of expletives in a broad Fife accent. We get
15 minutes of Eddie’s disruption as he induces Oxbridge graduated security guard Tom into abandoning his principles and coming in with him on an as yet to be explained nefarious activity.

Drew Cleghorn plays this unwilling pawn perfectly with deference and middle-class reserve until he’s faced with an awful reality as political zealot Gary brings in an unconscious kidnap victim on his shoulders.

Damien Passmore’s Gary is an idealist with rock-solid working-class credentials and a determination to change the world through militant action. What’s funny about any of this? Loads!

When all four are on stage, including Peter Chamberlain’s kidnappee Frank, we are treated to a four-way battle of ideology versus cynicism and it’s those clashes which set up the absurdity of all their positions and the humour.

Gagarin Way is an exceptionally well-acted and directed piece calling upon high levels of talent in all four performers.

Progress Theatre is unique in the Thames Valley and a lot further in being willing to stage this sort of show; they deserve accolades not only for doing it in the first place, but also for doing it so well.

Mike Rowbottom