Flesh Wound

At times harrowing, at others intriguing, and intense throughout, Exhibit A: Theatre's Flesh Wound is about as in-your-face as contemporary theatre gets. Set in one room and featuring a cast of three, the play commences with the corrosive Dierdra letting it be known in no uncertain terms that she wants Joseph, an unsolicited visitor, to remove himself from her flat. As he slowly begins to ingratiate himself, the muddied waters of the past begin to clear, and what Dierdra was told was true and the actual truth start to blur. The explosive entrance by Dierdra's brother Vincent heralds a turning point and from here the play shifts gears dramatically. Goodtime Studios in Carlton provides the ideal setting for the play, with the audience seated close to the action, heightening the claustrophobia of the spiralling situation. Vincent, Joseph and Deirdra, played by Benjamin Rigby, Jeremy Kewley and Belinda Misevski respectively, all deliver lines in their cockney accents convincingly and the direction of the Che Walker-penned script by Nicholas Pollock is tack sharp. Set design is minimal, which narrows the focus upon the action and at no point during the play's 90 minutes is the performance anything other than enthralling. Flesh Wound has audience members wincing tonight and is really suited for those who prefer their theatre hard to the core.

Goodtime Studios (finished).