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Caryl and Meirion live in an idyllic coastal village, only it doesn’t feel so idyllic to them anymore. They are the last ones standing in an area abundant with second homeowners, and Caryl makes sure we know it. She wants to sell up at a premium before the Welsh Government’s new second-home policy kicks in. Meirion, the seventh generation of his family born in the home, adamantly does not.
The effect of second homes on communities is and has long been a hot topic in Wales, but there is much more to Lucie Lovatt’s Kill Thy Neighbour than this, as we soon see as other characters enter the mix.
Max Norman – joke intended – is the English next-door neighbour who symbolises everything Caryl despises, yet is so affable and quirky that the frost soon thaws. Gareth, a witty local estate agent played by Jamie Redford, throws some tension into the mix. Then the couple’s daughter Seren (Stella’s Catrin Stewart) comes home with some surprising news for her parents.
Slowly, long-buried secrets rise to the surface, and we learn why Caryl is so spiky and Meirion keeps himself so busy. Elin Steele’s set, a living room and kitchen that have seen better days, perfectly conveys the claustrophobia, shadows and failings within the characters’ relationships.
I’ve seen Victoria John (Caryl) in Pavilion, Truth or Dare and Celebrated Virgins, and I’m always thoroughly impressed by her performances. She is so very versatile and utterly natural in her delivery.
Dafydd Emyr (Meirion) I initially felt to be a little mannered, though this might be purposeful to convey the tension in the marriage. Also, I am not used to seeing him act in English, and his voice was ‘posher’ than expected, in the Anthony Hopkins, Richard Burton vein. When the secrets came out of the woodwork, he certainly gave an excellent impassioned and vulnerable performance.
Gus Gordon as Max was very engaging, and Jamie Redford was hilarious. Catrin Stewart as Seren had a calm presence which only made the sharing of her own secrets more captivating when the time came.
Ultimately the revelations seem cathartic and help the family to move on to a much happier existence.
I saw Lucie Lovatt’s excellent short play, Maternity Leave, as part of Truth or Dare, and am delighted to see her follow up with her first full-length play. Kill Thy Neighbour is an entertaining dark comedy full of thought-provoking themes, salacious secrets and a spine-tingling ending.
Kill Thy Neighbour will be performed at Theatr Clwyd from 2-20 April. The show will then take place at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, from 24 April – 4 May.
Images: Jorge at Studio Cano