Cut The Cord

I find myself sitting in the crypt cafe of St Johns Church on a rainy Friday evening feeling curious as to whether this interesting but slightly chilly location will be the stage for a play the could warm up the very cockles of the damp but evidently supportive audience. In this regard, Cutting the Cord certainly did deliver; a surprisingly light but engaging story of a mother and a daughter colliding in the living room late one night, one going out ‘on the pull’, the other trapped at home fearing to start her life alone while her husband fights in Afghanistan, both unwillingly working out their issues together over a game of Scrabble.

I feel instantly transported back two months to the Fringe Festival as this original work is what you would expect of a young company’s show in August, being a good script and a quality production if still slightly rough around the edges. It was sparking with potential but made me smile rather than laugh, and did not quite make enough of an impact with its topical and serious issues to move me as it could have done. Having said this, for a show discussing such national concerns as war, recession and youth idleness, it certainly was able to highlight the affect these current issues can directly have upon individuals, and did so in a personable and humorous style that really worked.

The discontented mother was, oddly, a very positive and likeable character, and was especially well-performed; I genuinely though that the imaginary Mr Biggles the Cat might make an appearance from under my seat, such was the success of her performance. And while edging towards the melodramatic, the daughter was perfectly performed as a teenage daughter should be, and both characters complemented each other well throughout.

Cutting the Cord is not quite yet the cutting edge drama the company might aspire to, this charming play makes for an entertaining 45 minutes and is certainly an excellent show for challenging those endless family misconceptions familiar to any mother and teenage daughter who have ever wondered what the other is thinking about their lives.