The Collection
The Traverse Theatre
Rapture Theatre Company
20/09/13
★★★★
Over the last 10 years, Rapture Theatre have become
Scotland’s leading contemporary touring theatre company, attracting sought
after performers and boasting a variety of productions. With an already
impressive portfolio under their belts, The
Collection, set in modern day Scotland, sees Rapture put a fresh spin on a
theme almost abused by television dramas – the seedy and immoral game of debt
collecting.
Combining gritty realism and Trainspotting-esque black humour, The Collection opens eyes to how taking on such a job can
totally eradicate one’s sense of morality, and also the emotional scarring inflicted
on those who undertake such a position with some sort of conscience. The latter
is depicted through protagonist Bob Lawson (Jimmy Chisholm) formerly known as
the infamous Pick Up Truck but who begins to crumble after the suicide of a
female client. A reverse personality change is also seen in pitifully unaware
new employee Billy Shaw (Tam Dean Burn), whose character transitions from asking “Do you call this
a decent living?” to hinting at sleeping with desperate female clients.
With a small but impressive cast of four, The
Collection consists primarily of snappy duologues, the strongest and most
engaging of which being between Chisholm and David Tarkenter, who constantly captivate with
their power struggle. Chisholm portrays the contrast in Bob’s character effortlessly,
perfectly conveying the conversion from hard faced businessman to secretly
grieving man with a newly discovered moral compass.
Desperately dopey Billy refreshes
the audience with light humour through his initial struggle with the job’s ‘heart
of stone’ prerequisite, but his frequent
outbursts of frustration lack conviction. Likewise, whilst Pauline Turner’s portrayal of one of the clients shows reluctance asking her husband
for help with the debt, her emotion is by no means raw. Whilst these minor downfalls
could have been improved by further character development, all
four actors bounce off each other extremely well.
Lyn McAndrew’s set takes versatility to the extreme, transforming
a gravestone to a kitchen table, but the simplistic set works perfectly with
the understated lighting. The most refreshing element of The Collection has to be experiencing the moral struggles of debt
collecting through the hard-faced bailiffs, rather than through the fearful
eyes of clients. Combine this with the gripping intrigue surrounding the suicide, Mike
Cullen’s shocking yet witty one-liner script and flawless performances from
Chisholm and Tarkenter and it is impossible not to join in with the raucous applause
given.
