Ruth Leon Pocket Theatre Review…..

People, Places and Things – Trafalgar Theatre

A cheerful night out, it ‘ain’t. People, Places and Things, Duncan Macmillan’s searing play at the Trafalgar Theatre, shines glaring light on addiction in all its soul-, body-, and mind-destroying horror.

Set in a rehab clinic  with a strict detoxification programme based on the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step model, Emma (or is her name Sarah? or Rachel?) she herself is not sure?), an actor addicted to drugs and alcohol, is forced to confront herself in company with other addicts. At first believing that she needs no treatment but is there only to be signed off as fit to work, she slowly breaks down into the realisation that, without help, she will die.

The hallucinations, delusions, physical manifestations of this dreadful illness are all here and Denise Gough leads an excellent cast of other addicts, medical professionals and family members.

This will undoubtedly be the most demanding role she will ever play and how she intends to keep up the devastating intensity 8 performances a week I can’t imagine. Her performance, and that of Sinead Cusack as two of her doctors and her mother, need to be seen to be appreciated.​

Not a cheerful night out, as I say, but definitely a worthwhile one.

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