Detective Sergeant John Gray (Paul Findlay) is the pride of the Manchester police force, but fate intervenes, and suddenly he finds himself in the same prison as the people he arrested. News of his arrival spreads, the riot starts, and they come looking for him.
A fellow inmate, Connor (Dominic Thompson), hides him, but why?
Chris Leicester, the writer and director, has carefully crafted a play that exposes the darker realities of human behaviour. This two-hander, with a simple yet effective set that switches between cell and station, explores actions and consequences. With flashbacks to Connor’s arrest and the circumstances that led John to be in prison, we are slowly exposed to raw and uncomfortable truths and invited to consider if all crimes are equal.
The chemistry between Findlay and Thompson is palpable. These are powerful and moving performances by both men, and they succeed in drawing the audience deep into their respective worlds. The script is clever, moving, and at times uncomfortably funny, providing humour that highlights the absurdity of their shared situation.
Moving, at times unsettling and tightly performed, 180° Chord grips from start to finish. Its power lies not in the riot or the twists, but in the uneasy relationship at its centre and in the way it leaves the audience to sit with the consequences. It’s a theatre that asks difficult questions and you will struggle to look away.
It runs until 18 January.
Review: S. Newman