Abominations - Etcetera Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
WRITTEN and directed by Matthew Campling, the comedy/drama Abominations runs at Camden’s Etcetera Theatre from May 3 to May 29, 2016.
Set in rural England, the play concerns handsome married man Jeff, who is struggling with Christian religious guilt and homosexuality. He meets Malcolm, a young man also trying to come out. Malcolm has a kindly but homophobic boss, Tony, who is also Jeff’s father. The fourth character is Sharon, Jeff’s angry, frustrated and scaldingly funny wife.
Abominations challenges the idea that homophobes can use the Bible to justify homophobia. Research has been carried out into the actual meanings of the various ‘abominations’ and it’s these proper interpretations that Jeff uses in the climactic second act confrontation with his father to attempt to finally receive his father’s love and acceptance.
The cast includes Alexander Hulme (as Jeff), Chris Dan Burr (Malcolm), Gary Heron (Tony) and Natalie Harper (Sharon).
Matthew Campling has had seven plays produced in the past and was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award (Soho Theatre). He then worked as a psychotherapist for 20 years and had three non-fiction books published. He has now returned to writing plays and Abominations is the first from Campling Hicks Productions.