Not Talking
Arcola Theatre, London

PREVIOUSLY performed as a radio drama, Mike Bartlett's first play for the stage is a portent of the playwright's notable career.

Director James Hillier has his cast of four, ageing married couple James and Lucy and young squaddies Mark and Amanda, interweave their interlocking monologues on a stripped-down thrust stage.

They are linked by their inability to talk to one another about life-shaping events — incidents and decisions that potentially could bond the couples trigger breakdown they are unable to share.

David Horovitch's gentle and affable James and Kika Markham's stoical wife set the tone as they describe their early relationship and her miscarriage without ever directly exchanging words or even being in harmony with their emotional responses. The same events are articulated alongside each other, out of step and from contrasting perspectives.

Lawrence Walker and Gemma Lawrence's typical army recruits likewise have common experience of a life-changing event but are unable to tell each other. Their initial flirting turns to a nightmare and their physically close monologues shift to differing tempos. The stage space is no longer shared.

The emotional hurt and trauma of the different generations are expressed in the distinct language and rhythms of the individuals as this poetic drama unfolds. Their inability to communicate is underscored by the same piano music played by the women as an alternate form of expression.

There is humour and a light touch to the work that establishes the relationships and the moments of emotional intensity develop naturally and are tellingly highlighted by their isolation. Only when secrets are shared across generations do the characters fully engage with each other.

Not Talking is akin to a piece of music, with four contrasting instruments exploring the same themes and generating tension in the different combinations. The solos stand out, but only when Amanda and James come together to share her secret is there harmony.

Bartlett writes of his play that it can now sit comfortably as a depiction of a slightly different, mostly offline, historical world.

Yet, with the superficial and artificial nature of so much ubiquitous social media interaction now, the play is strikingly relevant. It is much more than a mere reflection of another era.

Runs until June 2, box office: arcolatheatre.com