★★✰✰✰
2-Faces takes us on a wild journey across the gritty landscape of 1990s London as a pair of accomplished art thieves attempt to pull off their most ambitious heist yet. As the audience take their seats, eyes are drawn to a screen above the stage giving us a glossary of cockney slang. Before you know it, you’re fully immersed in the murky world of crime, subterfuge, and mystery as our thieves Sara and Kofi surreptitiously slip into the roles of Detectives Solomon and Kincaid to cover their tracks.
After fleeing the foster system, Sara and Kofi took up a life of crime as a means to support their unconventional family of “Little Champions.” With their identities concealed and over £1.2m worth of art stolen, things seem to be running smoothly for them thus far. That is until a former associate Dante persuades Sara to complete a theft on his behalf, with a promise of helping her find her birth parents. Lines of trust soon become blurred, forcing our characters to re-evaluate their family ties.
On top of this central action, we have a secret affair between Kofi and his boss, a fatal stabbing, rumours of a secret informant, and a theft that goes ‘Pete Tong.’ All of this results in a convoluted plot that fails to fully captivate and engross the audience. The relentless surge of scene changes and fast-paced dialogue makes the play feel rushed at best and at worst overwhelming and completely disorientating. Tonally the play is all over the place, veering from raucously intense to silly and melodramatic.
The play tries to guide us through the plot with scrolling text in-between scenes, giving us a self-aware Gogglebox style of commentary. Adopting the voice of a bewildered audience member, there are frequent jabs at the complex narrative which initially elicits a few chuckles from the audience. However, this eventually becomes tedious, widely derailing the dramatic tension so the story loses its momentum.
Despite the tonal problems and congested script, the show redeems itself slightly with powerful performances from its cast. Both Jasmine Dorothy Haefner and Hassan Hope switch between characters with ease and brought great energy on stage. Sometimes the British accents were a bit shaky but the pair exuded such delightful on-screen chemistry that this can be quickly brushed over.
There’s no doubt that 2-Faces has the potential for evocative storytelling. With its solid acting and strong foundations for poignant character arcs, it has the ingredients for a thrilling and provocative play. As it stands, however, 2-Faces feels unfocused and chaotic, leaving little room for the drama to digest.
2-Faces will be performed at Greenside @ Infirmary Street – Mint Studio from 21-26 August at 5:20pm as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
Words by Katie Heyes
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