Two friends to enemies meet in a hotel bar in the early hours. The years have passed since something happened to shatter their relationship, but emotions haven’t necessarily mellowed.
Mark Bastin’s play The Dawn of Reckoning is a two-hander which unravels the broken friendship between Ruth (Jilly Bond), a children’s book illustrator, and Helena (Bryonie Pritchard), a neurosurgeon.
They met and became friends at university, opposites in many ways but bonded by a sense of fun.
What came between these firm friends? Was it a man who, or was there more to it?
The compact hotel set puts the two women in close proximity, heightening the feeling of tension.
Compelling and nuanced performances from Jilly Bond and Bryonie Pritchard peel away the past to reveal something sore and raw beneath.
Yet while their relationship is certainly frosty, there is an underlying warmth, coupled with moments of tenderness, that paints a picture of how close they used to be.
Fox screams coming from outside the hotel, and flickering lights give the play a slightly awkward, gothic and surreal atmosphere. It creates a feeling that there is about to be a haunting reveal or revelation.
However, there is enough intrigue and interest in the two women’s conversation that it becomes a distraction and an unnecessary embellishment.
The set-up to get Ruth and Helena in the hotel bar feels awkwardly contrived: why would two women in their 60s be in a hotel bar in their pyjamas at 3 am, particularly as only one of them is drinking?
Final thoughts
Putting surreal lights, fox screams and contrivances to one side, this is a solid and compelling two-hander about navigating a relationship battered by complex life events and unravelling layers of emotions.
I’m giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half.
The Dawn of Reckoning, White Bear Theatre
Written by Mark Bastin
Directed by Matthew Parker
Cast: Jilly Bond and Bryonie Pritchard
Running time 70 minutes without an interval
Booking until 28 March.
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