Why Do All Catherines Call Themselves Kate?

The obscurity of its title sets the tone for the rest of this new play. It is a hard piece of writing to work out, and the audience’s curiosity builds as it unfolds. A red book, a newspaper headline (“The Evil of the Loan Shark”), a hole burnt in the middle of the carpet, the sound of music blaring from a New Year’s Eve party next door: how can we use these to make sense of the misery and tension which build tangibly among its three characters as the evening passes?

Many of the play’s puzzles are left unsolved when we leave the auditorium, but this is not why we leave wondering, really wondering, over each of the characters’ stories; it is because it is rare for a play to be so utterly convincing. Young writer Mwewa Sumbwanyame’s understanding of and ability to portray dysfunction and despair is as strong as his skill in building mystery and tension; but it is the acting of Bella Row, Paddy Loughman and Nick Kay, helped along by the direction of Nicola Cross, which really impresses.

Combined, these individuals clearly have the kind of talent which can hold together a play which, because it is so complicated, might otherwise fall apart. This is a piece of writing that shows great promise, but has difficulty in tying up all the loose ends in the dialogue. Unfortunately, this does leave us very slightly dissatisfied, despite the impression that the production as a whole makes on its audience.