Espresso

Jenny Eastop (21Jan15): Espresso is a fascinating play that slowly draws you in through captivating story telling until the final emotionally explosive scenes that leave you stunned and emotionally drained. The production, on an almost bare stage, wisely lets the strength of the writing and the skill of the actors tell the story. The cast of two, Eleanora Russo and Niall Murray, switch effortlessly between a panoply of characters, each one brought vividly to life with no more than a hunch of the shoulder or an elegantly held cigarette. Under the skilful and detailed guidance of director Aaron Blackmon these characters build up layer upon layer of narrative to create a thought provoking and ultimately moving exploration of human life with all its needs and imperfections. The writing is powerful and engaging, the actors are excellent and have real chemistry, and the production hits all the right notes. I think this deserves a great deal more than this limited run and I hope it has the chance to be seen by a lot more people