Theatre Talk

REVIEW:
Chasing Pegasus (a play in ten chords)
by Sally McLean
Tara Wilkins, Theatre Talk

Chasing Pegasus (a play in ten chords) is a ‘slice of life’ insight into what makes us as human beings tick.

While fairly mainstream as far as the idea is concerned – a group of people are gathering for their weekly book club meeting at the Serendipity Book Shop, so providing a chance to look at human nature under a controlled microscope – there are clever touches, such as when each character suddenly breaks into a monologue, sometimes out of the blue, which gives a sense of witnessing their inner thoughts – like we’ve stepped into each character’s head for a moment. This isn’t always a comfortable sensation, sometimes feeling like a gross invasion of privacy, but works very well within the play’s structure, as each character is written with sensitivity and honesty, so making this device a fascinating insight into how each of us, although very different in personality, under it all are really very much the same.

Well-written and even, dare I say, inspirational, Chasing Pegasus deftly holds up a mirror to the audience, reflecting back our foibles and frailties without, thankfully, falling into cliche or over-sentimentality.