David Tristram is one of the UK’s most popular and performed playwrights. His plays take a farcical view of sex, alcohol, drugs, crime and the theatre itself. He has written twenty-nine plays and comedy novels as well as directing three films. He usually tests his new work at a small theatre in Bridgnorth near his home in Highley, before wider release.
Forget-Me-Knot is a tricky script to tackle due to the multiple twists and turns in the storyline, which is riddled with inconsistencies. Robert Zeinfeld is found by the police wandering the streets of Leicester at 4am. He has a bruised head and is suffering with amnesia and has no idea how he got there.
The stage is ingeniously set with two primary areas, the office of Inspector Monroe and a police interview room, which are both located within Leicester Police Station. Although the action is phased over four areas, the other two are used momentarily, accentuated by the lighting. Behind the two main areas, the two doors on stage are supplemented with a corridor, helping an ease of movement between the two rooms. The corridor itself is very believable as coming straight from a police station and the set as a whole works perfectly. This set is enhanced with perfectly timed lighting, movement and sound.
Inspector Monroe is played by Peter Watson, in his 25th year treading the boards in Broadstone. A consummate performer and absolutely believable in this part. Richard Cawte plays Robert and teases the Inspector with his quick thinking. Alyssa Thompson takes the part of Julia Zeinfeld, a rich, smart, businesswoman from Surrey with a sharp tongue and an impatient demeanour. Samantha, an excitable, blonde Doctor, also from Surrey, is cleverly portrayed by Jenny Hughes. All four of these actors give a stellar performance as they weave their way through each twist and turn.
The Directors, Michelle Barter and Suzanne Viney, describe this play as an enigmatic mix of frustration, machination and bewilderment, and all the performers tonight navigate their way with ease and enjoyment.
Forget-Me-Knot is full of pace, wit and humour and tonight’s audience seemed delighted with this performance. It is so lovely to laugh after such a miserable eighteen months, so I recommend you catch this play before it finishes. Forget-Me-Knot is on until Saturday 20 November at the War Memorial Hall in Broadstone, each evening from 7.30pm.
Great directing, great acting and a clever little play.
