Lucie Lovatt‘s dark, comedic play Kill Thy Neighbour is set in the coastal Welsh town of Porth Y Graith, where long-term residents Caryl and Meirion appear to be the last ones left in the village. All but a few have been sold or let as holiday homes to ‘outsiders’. Given their meagre incomes and lack of planned retirement funds, their options are dwindling, and they may be forced to sell before new Senedd legislation comes into force. This is the battleground between them: Meirion wants to stay in his family home and Caryl wants to get out and have her freedom before it’s too late.
The character study throughout is deep and rich: it twists along at a zippy pace, under the deft directorial hand of Chelsey Gillard. Unearthed family secrets, long-buried resentments and awkward revelations are announced, all within the setting of their front room.
Further characters enter, like neighbour Max (Gus Gordon) – one of the aforementioned outsiders, he’s a dryrobe and croc-wearing geek from Bristol who likes to paddleboard at the weekend, loves the view, but often travels back home leaving his house empty, much to Caryl’s disdain. A cheerful turn from Jamie Redford as an estate agent, sporting an icky striped suit and desperate to make a sale, conveys a few of the comedic moments. Catrin Stewart appears later as Caryl & Meirion’s daughter Seren and carries her ‘distanced relative visiting the village’ persona realistically, struggling with her roots and her life away from her hometown.
Kill Thy Neighbour’s fully-rounded cast explore the simplicities of village life and the complexities of change alike; home truths are outed as the play takes a darker turn and the narrative careers towards unexpected outcomes. It’s an engrossing couple of hours: a well-written and performed drama, with a brilliant cast, it drags you as a viewer through emotional generational relationships, addressing issues around the cost of living crisis, housing and communities ebbing away. Highlighting a very contemporary problem across Wales, catch Kill Thy Neighbour at the Torch Theatre while you can.
Kill Thy Neighbour, Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, Thurs 25 Apr
On until Sat 4 May. Tickets: £10-£23. Info: here
words ANTONIA LEVAY photos JORGE AT STUDIO CANO
