REVIEW: Knee Deep in Promises, Liverpool Royal Court Studio
KNEE Deep in Promises tells the story of a young man dealing with two bitter tragedies and struggling with pledges made.It's a welcome return to the Liverpool stage for actor Lewis Bray as Dean, tormented in the hours following the loss of his mother as he ponders how to fulfil her last (unusual) wish - to be disposed of in an affordable and under-the-radar way of his choosing. A Weetabix box coffin, on stage throughout, Loot-style is one option, immediately hinting at the flashes of absurdist humour in everyday experience to be found running through writer Deborah Morgan's script.Nosey neighbour Trish (Sharon Byatt) would rather talk him out of that, and begins asking questions about his first love, Hayley (Debbie Brannan), who appears through some nicely done flashback scenes.Past and present intertwine as Dean struggles to forgive himself for things he thinks have come to define him, but the audience can see have always been out of his control, to devastating effect.Dean and Hayley are believable, likeable characters with a good chemistry thanks to Bray and Brannan; and though Trish's motivations are murky, it's an enjoyable, worldly-wise performance from Sharon Byatt. Complex relationships are tenderly examined in a touching story of vulnerability and loss.
