The Daily Times newspaper printing duo, Simon Payne and Richard Eagar are the best in the business. Thanks to some very 'artistic’ pictures of young Debbie French, they have managed to break the circulation record. Now, thanks to them, they have half a million readers and Simon is expecting big rewards. What he isn’t expecting, however, is for his boss’s niece to be given a job in their office. Things take a very bizarre and messy twist in this hour-long show.
The two men in the limelight are Mike Idris, who played Simon Payne and Oliver Reynolds, who embodied his second in command, Richard Eager. Idris’s portrayal of big shot Payne lacked real gusto. The writing was too big for him, and Idris failed to deliver enough energy to sustain him throughout. Consequently, Reynolds had nothing to react to. There were flashes of brilliance when the two men managed to bounce off each other perfectly, but both of the characters suffered due to sub-standard delivery of what could have been a very funny script.
Amy Stokes played Elizabeth Thompson, whose performance seemed to be a little more polished and her characterisation complete. Writer Matthew Kirton is generous with his speeches and writes a strong female role.
The set was simple and smart, with newspapers scattered, a door with ‘Printing Dept’ and standard office paraphernalia along with background noise of printing machines throughout which did not distract from the action on stage.
Written and directed by Matthew Kirton, this tongue in cheek peek into a paper’s day to day running offers some light relief from the heavy headlines we are dealt each day. Kirton’s script is punchy, often witty and offers some good lines for its heroes. But his main protagonists struggle to fill the roles that have been written for them, leaving a show that has much possibility and potential.
With a cast that fits his characters better, and a few things tightened up, The Daily Times would make a lovely show that would showcase the talents of this young writer. Definitely a name to look out for in the future.
7/10
The Daily Times concludes its run at Unity Theatre tonight, Tuesday 13th September. See www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk for more details.
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