Presented by The Electric Theatre Company
@The Reading Room, 153 Hindley Street
THURSDAY 8th March (March 10)

I found this review pretty hard to write because, well, there really wasn’t that much to write about. Twins is a story about a pair of people and their problems. And that’s about it. They disguise it well with quirky dialogue and some heartfelt speeches but, in the end, there didn’t seem to be much to it.

When I walked into the Reading Room and noted the number of people there, my first thought was that this was a small-time show. My expectations were of a flimsy student performance, perhaps a couple of forgotten lines and some cringe-worthy acting. It’s a nice place, the Reading Room, and the thirteen or so people who had gathered to watch Twins looked comfortable as they reclined in couches or perched on stools that were scattered apparently at random. I thought that the idea of holding a play there was ambitious, and the simple surroundings and props that Twins required meant that the Reading Room suited it nicely. It was a nice atmosphere and a nice place to put on a small show.

The acting itself was pretty good. As far as I could tell, no lines were forgotten, there were no breaks in character, and most of the dialogue was delivered coherently. All three actors played their parts well, and seemed professional, although not outstanding. It was the story that was the let-down for me. It wasn’t a particularly exciting tale, and it was a shade too predictable.

The twins, Sam and Patti, live a lonely life, and take solace in their time spent with each other. They tell each other cute stories to pass the time, they read books and make meals. They also drink a lot. The descriptions of ‘the nightclub’ were great, painting a great picture of the seedy establishment in which Sam worked. A new person enters their tiny little world, causing problems and division, but soon the twins overcome and conquer, just as you’d expect them to. The way they go about it is a little bit of a twist, but nothing that really came from left field.

The twins are good characters, with both good and bad features, but the newcomer, Tai, isn’t as well portrayed. The play is nicely written, with some emotional speeches and some brilliant descriptive dialogues. But, again, the story just wasn’t engaging, and I found myself getting a little bored as I watched it. As we were leaving, I noted that most of the small audience seemed to feel the same.

If you’re into small plays in comfortable and pretty intimate surroundings, it’s not the worst way to spend an evening. But nor was it the best.