BIG FROG Productions certainly gave their audience something a bit different when it staged the psychological thriller The Man Who Liked Order.
It was given the perfect setting in The Palace Theatre’s Upstairs Room, as the auditorium gave that claustrophobic intimacy that this production needed and thrived in.
The play was a welcome break from the mainstream and commercial theatre we have all become accustomed to and was refreshingly original as we watched Bradshaw, an odd man, who lives as a virtual recluse in a sixth-floor flat, strike up a relationship with the young Sarah as she tried to find out about his past.
It is always difficult when performing primarily a double-hander to an audience to maintain its interest, but this one did that just fine.
The chemistry between Mike Richardson, who wrote the script and played recluse Bagshaw, and Olivia Unitt as Sarah, was fantastic. Their body language and interaction between themselves and the pair with the other characters were wonderful throughout, maintaining plenty of dramatic tension.
The plot unfolded well through the developing of the pair’s relationship and a great hook going into the interval left the audience wondering.
After the break, there were flashes of humour as Bradshaw’s breakdown continued, but then the piece became more and more intense,
As the play progressed, there were plenty of philosophical questions and observations which came to the forefront that were bound to have audience members asking themselves about things that had happened in their own lives.
A series of twists and turns in the plot saw the play gather pace, leading to a big climax.
The Man who liked Order is well worth going to see and it is at Mappleborough Green on Saturday (March 8) and The Spadesbourne Suit in Bromsgrove on March 14.
Tickets are £8 (£7 concessions) on the door and for each ticket sold, there will be a donation to the Worcester Snoezelen, a local charity working with disabled children.
