GIANT STEPS (Theatr Clwyd)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpxXLpIpLYs&t=3s (This was a Secret Stream, but it's publicly listed on Theatr Clwyd's youtube channel so I'm guessing it's okay to post the link. I can take it down if not.)

Available until: Unknown

In our lives, we might not spend a lot of time with people who are very different from us. If two people have very different lives, they often never meet, at least not for long enough to form any kind of connection. But sometimes, people who are very different do meet and they find they have more in common than they ever expected. The three characters in Giant Steps are very different, but two of the characters’ paths keep on crossing – and it is through one of the things they do have in common that they meet the third character in this play.

Othniel Smith focuses this play mainly on Oliver and Alan, who are very different. They’re both young, black men so some people who place a bit too much reliance on stereotypes might assume they are quite similar, but they’re not. Oliver is well-spoken (not that I really like that phrase, it implies that other people are badly-spoken and I don’t think that’s right), very mannered and definitely eccentric. He’s dry and he’s hilarious. Alan is a lot more casual in his speech, he’s got banter and he’s quite rude, sometimes in a defensive way but sometimes in an amiable sort of way. He seems outspoken, but perhaps he doesn’t always say what he really believes.

They’re very different and they don’t always understand each other so they argue, but there’s a bond between them – a bond formed from their habit of meeting in fraught circumstances. When they find themselves in the same hospital, that bond continues, even though Gita, their doctor, doesn’t encourage it. She has trouble seeing past the front Alan puts up and it bothers her to the extent that she isn’t always completely professional.

But perhaps she’s more like Alan and Oliver than any of them realise. They’re very different on the surface, but maybe some of the difficulties they face in their personal lives aren’t so dissimilar after all.

This video is of a livestream and it’s not without its technical issues, but that’s live digital theatre. Things do go wrong sometimes, but they sort it out, they keep the play going and it doesn’t lose its emotional impact. It’s testament to the talent, professionalism and determination of these actors that they are able to get back into it and carry on as though the interruption didn’t happen and quickly draw you back into the emotion of the play. Obviously, you’d rather it didn’t happen for the actors’ sake, but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all.

The play is a series of conversations – and arguments - between the characters. They push – and cross – the boundaries. They become frustrated with each other. They try to understand each other and themselves, all searching for a truth which might not exist and which they might not recognise, even if they found it. A lot is unspoken. A lot is left for us to make up our own minds. It’s powerful and thought-provoking and very sad, but inspiring at the same time.

The cast are all really good. These characters aren’t perfect and they all say things they probably shouldn’t, but the actors make the characters likeable and interesting. They’re all putting on an act to an extent, but the actors show there’s something beneath it, even before we get to see what it is. It’s hard to believe the play is well over two hours as it moved quickly with no wasted words; no meaningless exchanges. There is a lot of meaning in this play, even if much of it is under the surface.

I might have the actors’ names wrong as I’ve only heard them and not seen them written down, but I think I’ve found the right names. Any errors are entirely my fault.

Simon Manyonda is charming as Oliver, sarcastic and biting at times, but it’s easy to see why Alan and Gita are both drawn to him. Akiel Dowe shows the vulnerability and fear under Alan’s defensive and sometimes harsh manner. While Oliver’s acceptance of his situation is impressive, the way Alan continues to fight is also admirable. Dinita Gohil is an intelligent and caring Gita, but she doesn’t shy away from showing her imperfections and you have to admire the way she was ready to step in and play one of the other characters during a technical hitch. This was literally only for a couple of lines, but even with the same hair and costume, she was a different person.

All these characters are played in a very human way and that’s part of what I love about this play. The characters aren’t perfect, but these actors really make you care about them.