Cherry Smoke

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.

Superb performances unfortunately serve to underline the problems with James McManus' script, in this drama about amateur boxing, abuse and devotion. We follow no-good Fish from childhood to disaster, and the boxing aspect is well-integrated and interesting. Jason Planitzer is fantastic as Fish's long-suffering brother and kudos goes to the actors for flawlessly executing 85 minutes of complex dialogue, in dialects built to match their down-and-out characters. So much the worse then, that McManus gives them such unbelievable things to say - at one point, a stomach ache is caused by "something vicious behind the eyes". Autumn Ayers also deserves a more complex character than the can't-live-without-her-man stereotype. But withhold your judgment and go see the show - this young company is one to watch.

Cherry Smoke from Barebones Productions is playing at C cubed, 2-26 August at 4:35pm. Buy tickets here.