An Intervention – The Space – Review
by R Sheedy

An Intervention – Mop N Bucket Theatre

An Intervention is a two-hander that uses the UK’s 2003 military intervention in Iraq as the starting point for introducing us to A (Neila Stephens) and B (Tom Zachar). The pair have been best friends for three years. A is a teacher, while B is an academic from a middle-class background—though he would deny the label.

A has attended an anti-war protest march, which B chose not to join. Through a series of sharp, incisive exchanges, she challenges him about his absence, gradually exposing his support for the intervention, much to her dismay.

It soon becomes clear that, while the war matters deeply to them both, it serves primarily as a catalyst for revealing the tensions already present in their relationship. B has started seeing a woman named Hannah, whom A clearly dislikes, while B has become increasingly concerned about A’s drinking and the fact that her lifestyle seems never to have progressed beyond partying.

The play shifts into a different gear when A either “hits” or “pushes” B, depending on your perspective. From that moment, their friendship begins to unravel. B increasingly voices Hannah’s concerns about A’s drinking, much to A’s growing irritation, while her dislike of Hannah becomes ever more overt.

This is a finely acted production. Tom Zachar brings a thoughtful, restrained quality to B, convincingly conveying his struggle between his loyalty to A and his beliefs about the Iraq War. Neila Stephens, meanwhile, delivers an emotionally compelling portrayal of A as she gradually comes apart under the strain of their collapsing friendship.

The play was written by Mike Bartlett and first staged in 2014. It is a sharp, perceptive play about friendship and the way close relationships are tested when fundamental values collide. The ending is particularly well judged, introducing an unexpected touch of black humour that lands effectively without undermining the emotional weight of what has come before.

The production is neatly staged on a minimalist set that allows both the performances and Bartlett’s finely crafted dialogue to take centre stage.

An Intervention – Mop N Bucket Theatre
23rd-27th of June at The Space Theatre

Writer: Mike Bartlett
Director: Dom Stephens
Performers: Neila Stephens and Tom Zachar