"An Absent Look" / R. S. Thomas

The latest “On The Edge” presentation at Cardiff’s Chapter, was a rehearsed reading of “An Absent Look” by Catalan author Merce Sarrias, directed by Ruth Garnault. Taking the form of a series of short, quite filmic scenes - some monologues, some wordless vignettes, some nervy conversations - it’s an anti-romantic comedy in which an earnest young woman disrupts the long-standing friendship between a middle-aged bookshop-owner and a young watchmaker. Megan Brooks played the Young Woman with just enough quirkiness to explain the attraction, while Tony Leader was effortlessly complacent as the older Man, with Ian Paul Goosey all confused nervous energy as his hapless rival. It seems to be a rule that dialogue comes across as stilted in translated plays (probably since plays are translated by linguists rather than dramatists), but the humour largely survived this, resulting in an enjoyably intriguing hour.

Looking forward to the premiere, in Swansea, of the R.S. Thomas show which I devised – seats still available, apparently.