Oran Mor

9^th-14^th February

13.00

To mark A Play A Pie And A Pint’s 350^th production, this week’s play was by American playwright Emma Goidel and was originally commissioned for American theatre group Tiny Dynamite. This international theme will continue through the current season of plays. The play, We Can All Agree To Pretend This Never Happened wraps up a serious topic (global warming) in what amounts to a classic comedy of errors. The action takes place in a scientific research lab deep in the furthest frozen wastes of Siberia and concerns four Americans (two male, two female) involved in climatic research. The characters are played by James Young (Lincoln), Robert Jack (Andrew), Sally Reid (Liz) and Helen McAlpine (Maya).

The well-designed and lit set placed the action firmly “in the round” both in it’s circular construction and position within the packed audience. The protagonists have obviously spent too long cooped up together in their isolated icy outpost (shades of The Thing?) , nerves are frayed and emotions and feelings, real and imagined, are running at fever pitch.

Thus, the scene is set for some farcical misunderstandings over romantic liasons and a plot to fake damning global warming data by the use of a manufactured deadly virus. To say more would spoil the plot, but the whole scenario was well acted by the ensemble, in particular James Young’s Lincoln was reminiscent of Richard Dreyfuss at his most exasperated and apoplectic.

The play was crisply directed by Gary McNair but never quite fulfilled it’s promise by being a little short at forty minutes and somewhat unfocussed in it’s ambition. Was it a comedy or a serious comment on global warming? We never really reached a conclusion in that respect. In any event, it was pretty entertaining and probably the only time I’ll be on the stage at Oran Mor. (Some seats had to be put there-it was so busy)

Reviewer : Dave Ivens