Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating: * * * *

Cast: Richard Weston.

Amongst the scattered cardboard boxes, half empty spirit bottles and dodgy looking white powder dusted liberally on a side table, is Atticus, sat upon a chair looking slightly the worse for wear in his stained white vest, dirty bare feet and marked jeans. A young man looking to escape from the outside world and who locks himself up in a room where he is surrounded by his memories, all stored around him neatly in the cardboard boxes.

Richard Weston not only stars in this production but has also written it. Opbergdoos is a one-man show and Weston’s debut play. The script tackles memories and conflict, how one responds and deals with experiences and how we as human beings remember them. Atticus is an addict and is clearly on the road to destruction. Weston’s script is very layered, and even though the subject matter may appear dark there are moments of light which lifts the mood at the exactly the right moments. At times it is very fast paced and under directorship of Benjamin Longthorne, does well to deliver lines that are fast and punchy, but then equally he does well to slow things down as we see Atticus come down from his drug infused mind set.

It is never easy to deliver a forty-minute monologue and certainly one that you have written yourself. Weston has created a very individual piece and one that at times can be uncomfortable to watch, as the audience witnesses Atticus’s mental anguish and self-destruction unravel in front of them. Opbergdoos originally started out as an idea for a novel, but Mr. Weston soon realised that there would not be enough dramatic effect as it would have on stage. Thankfully, the actor turned his talent to create a very strong, well thought out and personal piece of work that works well in the intimate setting of the Lantern Theatre.

Jane Phillips.