“Ticking” a play by Paul Andrew Williams

Ticking – a play by Paul Andrew Williams

Trafalgar Studios, London until 7^th November 2015

A condemned man struts and smokes his last few hours of life in the confines of a Chinese prison. He’s alone, except for “Charlie”, his seemingly mute guard. Not that his actual name is Charlie but rather a reference to the throw back term coined by the Americans in the Vietnam War.

Yes, the clock is ticking, as it were, for Simon who is portrayed with avid intensity by Tom Hughes. Did he murder the prostitute? Will he receive a pardon before the firing squad takes aim at midnight? But Williams’ play, his first, is a lot less about the countdown and the possibility of a reprieve and more about a sickening unravelling of Simon’s relationship with his parents. It is as if the prospect of imminent death is not painful enough. Williams takes that prospect and literally forces it so deep under water to make it seem that death indeed would be a preferable conclusion.

For 85 minutes the audience witnesses a series of heart rendering but ugly confrontational exchanges between Simon and his parents, played by Niamh Cusack and Anthony Head. The initial emotional response is of acute sadness; why let it end like this? (Surely a family reconciliation is the better path). But Williams grinds much deeper and one’s attention shifts from pity to a more intent questioning of where Simon is taking this whole very final showdown.

And what a showdown it turns out to be. The intensity is heightened because the tiny, workshop style space at Trafalgar Studio 2 really feels like a prison cell; the audience so close that the tension seizes them throughout this short piece. Williams’ writing is superb, mostly with hard-hitting dialogue but also littered with light relief, which serves as a willing contrast to the ugly realism. The play works because all those on stage deliver the clever lines exceedingly well. Tom Hughes shines and, hot after his acclaimed lead performance in the BBC production of The Game, proves his worth once more.