“Glassy Ceiling, Concrete Flaw” by Rachel Elphick
Nottingham New Theatre

I have been so looking forward to the new season from the Nottingham New Theatre and from the looks of what is to come, In House and Fringe, I am in for yet another educative season with classics and the not so well known. This falls into the latter for me.

Hannah and Lia are best friends, or so they think. They have a lot in common, including a similar ambition to be writers. When they are both offered jobs with the same newspaper, it’s a change that will affect their lives, but not necessarily for the better!

There are several reasons why I love new writing, which this is. First that it is new and that I am coming to this with the same knowledge as anyone else in the theatre, and of course it's exciting!

The story is of office politics and how a friendship can change through jealousy and over ambition and the damage this can cause to a person.

The story is well written and well observed and could have been a bit longer with a slow burn. At just over an hour long, it left me wanting more because the two main characters Hannah and Lia were an interesting pair.

Chrisa Roma (Hannah) played the more dominant and power hungry of the two friends; the concrete flaw of the title, and for me one of the more confident of the cast, with really good projection.

Jaime Wynn (Lia) was just as career minded as Hannah but the more successful, and you could see why through the various conversations in the interview sections of the play. I was so glad when near the end she started to show a more passionate and angry side with Hannah, and that's when she started to come alive for me.

Along with these two the supporting cast were Alyssa fay Hills (Sadie), Laura Sherratt (Esmee), Matt Haines (Alex), Alice Walker (Bob), Emi Thackray (Jonathan), Gabriella Teriaca (Theodore), Yahya Ali (Charlie) and Laura Finckh (Mr Knutson).

These characters were the office staff and there's an interesting look at office politics, in and out of the work place highlighted in this play.

Many of these actors are NNT first timers, and you can tell, now whether this was NNT first timers or first time acting, it's difficult to tell that. This may seem a negative but it really is not because with the standard of acting I have had the pleasure of seeing at NNT over the years, I'm making comparisons,and it will be nice to see how this cast grow with more experience. and as I said before, they certainly left me wanting to see more of them and the story.

Written and Directed by Rachel Elphick, I love the idea of this situation she has placed her two main characters in, and also the interesting office characters. I loved the comic relief of Mr Knutsford, and I also loved, and this may seem an odd thing to say i enjoyed, but the Theodore story, because this is a very definite role reversal situation, and I liked that twist. I also liked that Rachel made the gay character in the play someone who by their actions, look and speech would never have been noted as a gay character, again, breaking stereotypical images. Very clever writing.

Produced by Penelope Weir, who also is an NNT first timer.

The play is one of those "rough round the edges" plays that i enjoy because much as I love a smooth, sheen covered presentation, this kind of play is griity and a bit of rawness suits it well.

Loved the scenery and the placement of it by the whole cast, covered by some interesting music which, being quite a mechanical sound, also fitted in well with the mechanics of the office environment.

I noted just one particular spot that could have been tighter and that was either due to a forgotten line or by a late music drop, either way it left embarrassed looks by a couple of the actors. Sorry, probably no one but me noticed that, but I had to mention it because NNT are such a driven collection and they have a history of excellent theatre work.

As usual the lighting design was great (Laura Wolczyk) and the sound also (Joe Strickland).

You know, on the whole this play has legs and it would be lovely to see this revisited as a longer theatre piece. The characters are well perceived and the play subject matter is well observed and gives you something to think about on many levels.

A worthy start to the season and I hope to see all of these actors, now that they have broke their duck at the NNT, in future productions. I see plenty of potential with this group, and I love to be proved right.

“Glassy Ceiling, Concrete Flaw” is at the Nottingham New Theatre until Saturday 9 March 2019