Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE
It seems that 28-year-old playwright Laura Wade can’t put a foot wrong. She stunned audiences last year with her new plays – 'Colder than Here' at the Soho Theatre and 'Breathing Corpses' at the Royal Court. Added to this, she has recently received the Critics Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright.
'Other Hands' explores the frailty of human relationships in a world dependent on technology. Steve (Richard Harrington) a computer engineer and Hayley (Anna Maxwell Martin) a management consultant ignore the crisis in their partnership. As they move from each other and towards new partners they find themselves linked by a mysterious paralysis, not too dissimilar to repetitive strain injury.
Bijan Sheibani’s faultless and fast-moving production of this sharp new piece about technological dependence adds to the numerous plays in the West End about the disintegration of relationships, but at the same time is quirky and enjoyable, marking its author as one who knows how to observe well.
Cast:
Michael Gould
Richard Harrington
Anna Maxwell-Martin
Katherine Parkinson
Director: Bijan Sheibani
Writer: Laura Wade
Opened: 10th February 2006
Closing: 11th March 2006