What's He Building in There?

This strange love story has all the hallmarks of a David Lynch film. There’s a bizarre central romance—in which a reclusive carpenter falls in love with a chair he’s made—and grotesque supporting characters that throw the absurdities of middle class life into sharp focus. Top it off with a discordant score, beautifully played by Daniel Mackay on stage, and you’ve got an arresting, nightmarish new play from writer and director Dominic Di Rollo and STaG (Student Theatre at Glasgow).

The student cast is great: Sam Gregson is delightfully off-kilter as the sweet but delusional Carpenter and Harriet Bolwell puts in a remarkably mature performance as his tired, frustrated Wife. Best of all are Jock Maitland and Hannah Merriman as the eerie Friend and Friend’s Wife, whose simpering manners and insistence that they know best remind the Carpenter exactly why he’s retreated from everyday life.

Di Rollo’s story is a distinctive one that, despite its nonsensical storyline, depicts a completely believable sense of disillusionment in its characters. His direction is quietly brilliant too, creating haunting images using hacked bits of wood and the occasional puff of sawdust against a dark black background. However, What’s He Building in There? feels a little too obscure – the plot needs a touch more depth and a greater sense of resolution to really give it gravitas. But nonetheless, it’s an impressive work from a very promising writer.