Bruises - Tabard Theatre (Review)
Review by Shanna Schreuder
LOVE, friendship and sex are all on offer in Nadia Cavelle’s debut play, Bruises, but not all parties willingly accept.
Bruises follows sex worker Jackie as she leaves her cosy flat share with childhood friend Banana (a name that has defined her whole life) in an attempt to make big bucks as a high-class escort for rich-girl-turned-madam Mona.
Discovered by silver-tongued gigolo and self-appointed guardian, Damien, Jackie rapidly unravels as she’s been tasked to expand her mind and learns about tragic literary characters from one of her mentors.
However, this play has another storyline running throughout… the tale of Banana and her new bow, Justin Case (get it?). Funny, sweet and at times moving, this relationship may be a simple example of two opposites coming together, but both characters are endearing enough to hold your attention.
This is by and far down to the chemistry and performances of the actors in the roles. Kirsty Rider, as Banana, is fiery and cheeky, while Michael Edwards, as Justin, is a softie yet a sweetie.
The contrasting storylines make Bruises hard to class. Although it delivers a lot of laughs as it examines the relationship between love and lust, it doesn’t quite achieve what it sets out to do when it comes to looking at the issue of female empowerment through the choice of taking money for sex.
As such, it’s a flawed piece of work, enriched by some strong performances.