Review of ‘Mercurial’: “Unstable formulation”

London’s Riverside Studios host the return of Rosaleen Cox’s dark comedy after its world premiere last summer, exploring the complexities of love relationships through an edgy point of view. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know this playful story themed after a sex party manages to flaunt some memorable attributes.

Sometimes, it’s only through fantasy that we can discover the utmost truth of life. The essence of the theatre travels way beyond the realms of the stage, and materializes in the most versatile forms – whether it is behind the wings, or under the sheets… Yes, darlings, you’ve guessed right: this is a ghost story! No, just kidding – it’s actually what you all had in mind in the first place (because I know you all had it in mind… and probably somewhere else too…).

Don’t get your hopes up, though (and don’t get me started on other places!) – this may be not exactly what you were expecting. But don’t worry, it still wouldn’t get Mrs. Lovejoy’s approval, if that’s what you’re concerned about (seek medical attention if yellow-skinned cartoon characters’ opinions matter to you, anyhow). Welcome to another play about S-E-X (the spelling makes it sound filthier, for some reason). One guy, one woman (dated… – just kidding) meeting for the first time in an adult party. A few drinks, a couple of lines of coc(k)aine, and a tantalizing game to help them loosen up: pretending to be somebody else. What could possibly go wrong?

Written by Rosaleen Cox, who also stars as one of the leads in this two-hander piece, the script takes an unforced humourous approach to build its comedy (usually, projecting a subtly dark tone), where its hilarity does not rely on jokes or punchlines (with some exceptions), but the natural goofiness of its situations. Stating an engaging premise with a rather stirring look into it, Cox’s narrative manages to entice us for a great deal of its course. However, there are still some bumps that prevent the journey from moving more smoothly, and ultimately, leave us with a complete sense of fulfillment.

Though laying the grounds for a compelling story arc, its structure sadly fails to fully solidify – sketching its outline with sufficient competence, but unfortunately unable to provide anything else to make it feel as a downright jaunt. We get to know the characters, to some extent, but we’re not given enough tools to really care for them. We may blame that flaw on the play’s limited running time (roughly 50 minutes), but such restrictions should work as a vehicle to dispense with the unnecessary and focus on the core of the story.

Yet, there are also few problems compromising the effectiveness of the plot – whose twists and turns, though somehow enticing, seem slightly overused. You may say that every tale has been told already – and, to some level, that’s fairly true. But it’s a writer’s job to find new, stimulating ways of recounting the same and offering a view nobody else has before. Unfortunately, since the dialogue (though generally entertaining) tends to concentrate too much on the action, there’s very little room left for the personages to properly explore themselves (watch it there, dirtyminders) – and, apart from some overdramatic slants, all the chances of bringing richness and insight to their path are wistfully withdrawn.

A tale of struggle presented through the softening eyes of comedy, Mercurial makes a volatile attempt at delivering an honest perspective on the hardships of romantic relationships. Yet, it allows fact to meet fiction too many times by showing similar difficulties in its execution. Parting from quite a pleasant idea, the piece is rather capable of delineating the points it tries to make, but still needs to find the light (and voice) to let it to move from A to B – and perhaps, if maneuvering with enough dexterity, all the way down to G. Despite its amusing spirit, the play is actually a down-to-earth account of personal endeavour. And much as its framing suggests, for its success, we need to see more of their insides.

By Guillermo Nazara