Paper Cut

I caught Paper Cut in preview, and with the lead (Callum Mardy as Kyle) apparently battling a grotty cold.  This is playing in the studio at the Park Theatre and had an audience of 40 or 50 people (I started counting but got distracted) so with no interval there was no opportunity to sneak out for an ice-cream or g&t when it all got a bit tough.  

The play is set in the context of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ about a US soldier, wounded by an IED in Afghanistan (the ‘paper cut’ of the title) returning home.  With a disability, a huge amount of anger and drugs, and with a gun in his bag, we watch Kyle navigate his difficult relationship with his brother (Joe Bolland), the soldier he loved but now also discharged due to his sexuality (Prince Kundai),  and a potential new love (Tobie Donovan) who also represents wider society’s understanding and treatment of these men.  There’s a strong sense of camaraderie and love and some great bleak jokes tucked in here too, alongside the exploration of what a severe disability might mean for life and love.  There’s a lot going on here and the play asks good questions about how these men are valued by their country, and how they value themselves, but doesn’t really give all the answers although it manages a satisfying emotional resolution anyway.  

The staging is simple which worked well and the sound did a lot of evocative heavy lifting.  The low light which hung from the ceiling in the centre of the stage to break the space was annoyingly bright though and it meant at a couple of key moments I couldn’t actually see the actor’s faces.  The pace was a bit uneven in places but once Mardy gets over his cold it’ll definitely be worth a visit.