The experience of Sydney playwright and actor Mark Langham’s new play AMANDA is like trying to put the pieces together of a large, complex puzzle.

From the very first scene we know that Amanda- Amylea Griffin- is in a deep funk in her life. She is being harshly interrogated by two officers, Inspector Hood (Paul Armstrong) and Kovac (Elizabeth McGregor) in regards to a crime, the offence of which we only find out much later. The play’s over-arching question, how has Amanda got tn to this morass?!

As it currently stands, AMANDA feels very much like a work in progress, and doesn’t really come together well.  It is a challenging sway of writing, requiring a very deft, sure touch… I think of Christopher Nolan’s script ‘Momento’ as being a kind of gold standard  in this kind of style.

Whereas the play was disappointing, I enjoyed the production, helmed by the playwright. The play’s slow burning nature was well suited to the very intimate nature of the performance, with the actors almost performing on top of the audience at the downstairs Tap theatre.

Amylea Griffin delivered a strong, in your face, vivacious performance in the lead role. By the force and persuasiveness of her performance she is an actress worth keeping an eye on.

Paul Armstrong gave a very credible performance as a typically hard edged, crusty Detective. Langham gave Hood some quirky character touches, in line with the play’s appealing, quirky, under-cutting humour…There were plenty of references to the characters’ name Hood…that he was a vigilante, Robin Hood kind of character…and through his interview process with Amanda he constantly had to run to the loo, something that I can definitely relate to!

Elizabeth MacGregor delivered a warm, understated performance as Hood’s offsider, Kovac.

Rounding out the cast was Noemie Jounot in the role of a flustered Stage Manager whose main task was to rush on and off the tiny stage, madly speaking. To be candid, I wasn’t sure what all her gesticulating was all about…

Which essentially was the issue with AMANDA. It was like the play was performed in a kind of fog,..way too dense..and one never quite know what was happening and the meaning thereof.

An Old Monk production, Mark Langham’s AMANDA opened at the downstairs theatre at the Tap Gallery, Palmer Street, Darlinghurst on Wednesday 14th May and played until Saturday 17th May.