Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Beginning is a sharply perceptive and beautifully written two-hander by David Eldridge. Sat in the first gallery in the Royal Exchange, I certainly felt like a ‘fly on the wall’ at an intimate, awkward and entertaining meeting between two strangers, 38-year-old high-flying MD Laura and 42-year-old divorced middle manager Danny.
Set in the early hours, Laura’s flatwarming party has drawn to a close and Danny is the last remaining guest, and only attending because his friend invited him. As the night ends, a candid conversation begins as the unlikely couple slowly let their true selves slip – exposing their hopes and hurts, imperfections and insecurities – drifting from complete awkwardness to absolute heart-pounding intensity. It’s a dark rom-com. Rigorously naturalistic, punctuated with sparkling comic lines and brilliantly performed.
The first instalment in an ongoing trilogy, Beginning was a hit at the National Theatre in 2017; for this production, Eldridge has reframed the play for Northern audiences, moving the setting from Crouch End to West Didsbury. Bryony Shanahan’s direction is perfectly paced too; the characters deliver staccato-style speech at the start before opening up into moving monologues. Navigating through some wonderfully uneasy silences, Laura and Danny are interesting, though insecure, likeable characters who become closer throughout the play’s one hour 50 minute duration.
Astutely written – packed with tension and some superb comic touches – Beginning is a fascinating piece of theatre and definitely worth getting a ticket for.
-Kristy Stott
Beginning runs at the Royal Exchange until 11 March 2023.