The Guest – Washington Arts Centre

Writer: Scott Young

Director: Scott Young

Reviewer: Gemma Wilson

The Public Reviews Rating:

The Guest consists of three characters; Dawn (Angie Cape) and Chris (David Hey) an unemployed, unhappy couple who are due to have a baby, and ‘the guest’ (Andy Oliver). The guest is a sinister, mysterious character that Chris meets whilst at the local pub. After his show of violence ‘the guest’ believes him to be the perfect employee. With the promise of a job the couple believe ‘the guest’ will bring them an all-round happier, richer and more fulfilling life for themselves, and their unborn child. However, as the story deepens it is clear that this is not to be. The audience, and Chris’ partner Dawn, are left in the dark about the job Chris has been offered, and the entire performance is set around the mystery of the guest and the job given to Chris.

The play becomes dark and mysterious with questions being raised throughout. The three performers are fantastic, and play their roles brilliantly. Andy Oliver (the guest) is menacing and plays the spine-chilling role perfectly whereas Angie Cape (Dawn) and David Hey (Chris) pull on the heart strings of the audience members. The ending to the show is great and completely unexpected however it is definitely not for the faint-hearted! The performance even has one member of the audience physically recoil with its gruesome finale.

One of the show’s downfalls is its repetitive nature. Due to the focus of the mystery the characters begin asking the same questions time and time again, with the audience becoming inpatient for the secret to be unveiled.

Washington Arts Centre is a magnificent venue for this performance, with exposed brick the theatre greatly adds to the atmosphere due to its intimacy. Although the theatre was bustling there was a lot of tension throughout the performance, much of it captured in silence, and this was mirrored by the audience who were obviously engrossed. The performance is made up of one small set but this does not detract from the show which is captivating, however the music is confusing and sometimes deviates from the atmosphere.

Overall this is a great show; the actors are fantastic and play their roles perfectly. Despite its repetitive parts the mystery of the show is captivating, and enjoyable.