Dave Florez’s new play has a neat scenario – about someone receiving an unpleasant package in the post – that is studiously crafted into a satisfying comedy, expertly directed by Adam Meggido and benefiting from a trio of strong performances.
It might be a missed opportunity that we discover, almost immediately, what’s in the cake box delivered to Colin. Overall, there isn’t quite enough tension in the play. That said, despite being suitably icky and leading to too many puns, what’s in the box isn’t really the point.
Florez’s close observation of the existential crisis the ‘gift’ provokes is spot on. Colin and his mid-life crisis are easily recognisable. Nicholas Burns, who takes the role, injects a lot of energy and makes the most of the jokes. Likewise, Colin’s sister and brother-in-law are tidy portraits that Laura Haddock and Alex Price get a lot from. Set in North London, the play even fits its Finsbury Park venue. If the social satire is light, it is well done.
There’s fun as Colin goes over his life and remembers those he has hurt. He has a nice line in feeling like a victim (a rant about pass-agg emails is great). And a lot of soul searching, with the irony of never managing to address self-obsession, is good. It might be a shame we don’t feel for this manbaby a bit more? Colin has a big breakdown. But it’s entertaining to laugh at him.
Florez tries hard to add twists, and the cast does well to keep up the energy. But The Gift doesn’t build and struggles to find a punchline good enough to end on. Burns carries on landing lines, Haddock’s deadpan delivery gets better and better and Price even manages to make us like his character. It is, though, a story about “a man with a shit in a box and a chip on his shoulder”. And that has its limits.
Until 1 March 2025
Photo by Rich Southgate