It’s rather poignant that Homework is performed in the same week that Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winning film Amour is released.  Where Amour focuses on an elderly woman and her husband coping after she endures a stroke, Homework depicts an elderly woman suffering from dementia.  Both pieces deal with the impacts of these conditions on the women’s’ loved ones, torn between devotion and frustration.

Homework, a new play from playwright Howard Colyer, is structured as a series of thirty phone calls, each instigated by ‘Mother’ to her son ‘Vincent’ and beginning with the words “Hello?”, “Who’s that?”, “It’s Vincent”, “Who?”, “Vincent”.  This sets up an inherent cyclical structure that reflects the repetitive nature of Mother’s life.  Due to her condition, she is forced to replay in her mind the best and worst moments of her life and is compelled to call her son frequently.  Jean Apps’ performance is a touching and well-played portrayal of dementia that is believable and heart-wrenching.

Vincent (Jonathan Benda) acts as a foil to develop the narrative.  Where Mother is stuck in a constant cycle, Vincent is torn between compassion towards his mother and frustration at her constant phone calls.  This reaches a peak at the climax of the play where his feelings finally erupt.  His feelings are mirrored by the audience and we rely on him to drive the plot.  Unfortunately, Benda’s performance felt flat and the tension in Vincent’s emotions lacked nuance.  As such, the ending felt a bit sudden.  In addition, this only served to emphasise the repetition of the narrative.

Director Scott Le Crass has done a commendable job of bringing the script to life.  Libby Todd’s set design is well dressed and the rapport between the characters is credible.  Difficulties arise with the time between phone calls.  With no specific stage direction, the audience are often left to simply watch the two characters’ lives unfold.  As a result, what on paper is a fast-paced and snappy script becomes, in reality, a little sluggish.

Continues until Saturday 1st December, more information here.

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Man, Ed Nightingale.