Risk Everything by George F. Walker –  The New Theatre, until Saturday 18th July 7.30pm nightly.

We join Carol and her daughter Denise as they are stumbling into a Motel room. Carol has been injured and is just out of hospital and Denise is trying to help her walk. Denise is trying to get the truth out of her mother as to how she sustained these injuries, but it is easier said than done. Carol is a woman with a loose connection with the truth at the best of times and this is certainly not that. Carol enjoys taking a risk but she may have pushed her luck too far this time. She is in trouble with the wrong kind of people and has put her family and friends in danger, but is that a risk she is willing to take?

This is a play by George F. Walker, the Canadian playwright and screenwriter and is part of his suburban Motel cycle, a series of six plays set in a Motel room. It is a high octane farce with a lot of humour along the way. The script may resemble a Quentin Tarantino film at times, but it is played for laughs and they make the most out of the far fetched story line. The stage of the New Theatre has been transformed into the average Motel room, where all the action takes place. There are two beds and a few other bits of furniture in this run down world.

This play has four cast members, but there is a strong focus on the two women. There is an impressive dynamic between the two, with Teri Fitzgerald particularly catching the eye, as a young woman trying to put her life back on the tracks after some wild years. Her husband R.J. is played by Neil Fleming, who is a regular a the New Theatre, this being his third production in the last few months. He is more suited to straight roles, but handles the comedic moments well as RJ, the slack jawed ex-con. It is a fast paced sit-com that has many twists and turns along the way. There are many funny moments in the script and the cast handle the material with ease. The play starts well but falls slightly flat towards the middle before catching its stride again in the final scenes.

Risk Everything at the New Theatre.

Directed by Liam Halligan

Starring – Pat Nolan, Ann Russell, Neill Fleming, Teri Fitzgerald