Unfaithful - Found 111 (Review)
Review by Shanna Schreuder
OWEN McCafferty’s taut, quick-fire dialogue in the hands of this troupe of actors makes for an excellent show.
Unfaithful is fast, furious and funny, with four characters that hold your interest and make you want to know more about them, which is why it’s a shame the running time is only 75 minutes.
Starting as it means to go on, director Adam Penford’s production opens with main protagonists Joan and husband Tom mid argument. She’s pushing him to dissect his latest confession of infidelity with an endless reel of questions, while he exasperates the situation by trying to avoid them.
When the play moves onto the younger couple, Peter and Tara, sat having a drink in a hotel bar, you’re struck by the distinct change of pace, but are aware that this will inevitably change over time. A heavy dose of humour is injected when young meets old and sex is put on the table.
Niamh Cusack is brilliant as the wronged wife Joan. She unleashes her explosive rage all over the stage, but keeps her vulnerability on display throughout. Her performance is further helped by Sean Campion’s excellent turn as Tom, a man who has lost the appetite for life.
Matthew Lewis’s Peter remains cool, calm and collected most of the time with the occasional release, while Ruta Gedmintas’s Tara seamlessly switches between needy girlfriend and confident femme fatale.
All in all, this is compulsive viewing that leaves you thirsting for more.
Unfaithful, which runs at Found 111, the pop-up theatre Charing Cross Road from August 31 to October 8, 2016, contains adult themes and is therefore suitable for ages 14+.
Tickets: All seats £35 (with no booking fee) – available from the box office on 020 7478 0100 or online at found111.co.uk/.
Times: Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm; Wednesday matinee at 3pm; Saturday matinee at 3pm.
View rehearsal images of Unfaithful