Plume @ The Tron

This is the question raised by Jodie Marshall in Plume, devised with and premiered by Tron Theatre Company, in which detritus (dissipated debris from a plane crash; the fragile human psyche) is a symbol of survivor’s guilt.

When retired teacher Mr Peters (Sylvester McCoy), whose son William was killed in the Lockerbie air crash, hears the news of the bomber’s imminent release, he tries to jump from a hotel window but is thwarted by Mallon, a chambermaid who it transpires is his ex-student – and whose life he once saved: now the roles are reversed, can Mallon’s friendship rescue him?

Plume is elegantly staged, with the hotel room and aeroplane in the same place, cut equally down the middle as past and present co-exist. There are some lovely examples of pathos and awkward observation – the stilted conversation between Peters and Mallon after his suicide attempt is particularly touching – but real moments of dramatic exposition falter when McCoy’s acting descends into histrionics. His grief simply does not feel real; a shame, as he does the bumbling goofball side to Peters’ character beautifully.

The two young actors, Finn Den Hertog as William, who we see in sentimental flashback and Gemma McElhinney as eccentric foil Mallon are consistently superb throughout, the latter displaying great comic timing. A little overwrought, but an intriguing, heartfelt performance nonetheless.