by Jemimah Steinfeld

Basildon is the fifth play from Fringe veteran Peter Hamilton, whose previous theatrical repertoire includes Switchboard at Theatre 503 and The Appearance of Christ in the East End, which was awarded Critic’s Choice in the Sunday Telegraph. While this latest instalment is unlikely to receive such accolade, it did nevertheless come with some redeeming qualities.

The play opens in a prison in Essex, where serial offender Dennis Walsh is awaiting release. During a final pep talk by jail governor Alan, we soon learn that far from the vigilante that one would associate with a character whose record is less savoury than a current MP’s, Dennis Walsh is a pleasant and ambitious wannabe actor with the stage name of Granville Shakespeare. Upon being released into the outside world, he wishes to pursue this as his career. And thus we are introduced to the central theme of the play – namely appearances deceive and things are not always as they seem.

Back in the real world, also Essex, Dennis Walsh becomes re-acquainted with old friend Leopold Swindon De Cock, who quickly convinces Walsh to put his acting aspirations on hold and dabble in a spot of pornography and scrap metal theft for extra cash. Using this plot as the centrepiece of the play, other characters enter the fold, most significantly housewives Janna and Shelley and their police officer husbands Michael and Dave. Behind their husbands’ backs, Janna and Shelley are lured by the financial gains pornography can offer and find themselves stripping for Walsh and De Cock. But in a small town no deviation goes unmissed and the naked truth soon surfaces.

There is often a sense of satisfaction when the plots of a story come neatly together, as they do in Basildon. Sadly, in this play it all felt a little too predictable to warrant this satisfaction. Similarly, the main message never really hit home: it was not taken far enough at some stages and yet stretched to the realms of unbelievable at others. Q.E.D. the character of Michael (Carl Knighton), the bookish, university-educated policeman, who was so unctuous as to be rendered completely unconvincing, as was the reconciliation between himself and his wife over her dalliance with pornography. Perhaps this was done for satirical purposes, but all that resulted was a sense of detachment from said subject.

Contrasting these negatives are some positives. For the most part the acting was incredibly strong. Especially commendable performances came from Dale Salvage (Dave) and Charles Anderson (Walsh). The use of satire, when correctly applied, also created moments of sheer comedy. Certainly, whenever Mrs Tilbury entered the stage, her religious tirades against homosexuality were the cause of many a laugh. The intimate setting of the White Bear Theatre complemented all of this, making Basildon an enjoyable, immersive experience. It did not live up to expectations overall, but it definitely entertained at the time.

The White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London  SE11 4DJ
26th May – 21st June 2009
Price: £12, £8 (concs)
www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk / 020 7793 9193