Love the Sinner This Is London

Former lighting designer turned playwright Drew Pautz puts the church’s attitude to homosexuality under the spotlight in his new play, heavy with symbolism, which questions the present day challenges facing both the clergy and the religious layman

From an erudite and very funny opening scene at a multinational Anglican conference (held in an unspecified African country) where the views expressed by the African bishop are at defensive odds with those of the other delegates, Pautz then makes the issues more personal, moving to the hotel room where married British businessman Michael (a volunteer taking notes at the meeting) has just bedded young black porter Joseph. Now, the previously accommodating Joseph insists that a worried Michael must help him get to England.

Back home, Jonathan Cullen’s increasingly guilt ridden and evangelising Michael runs into trouble not only with his desperate-to-conceive wife (Charlotte Randle) but also with his employees as he forces his beliefs into the workplace. The unannounced arrival of the ever-resourceful Joseph (Fiston Barek making an impressive debut) adds to his problems as he tries to do the right thing having already done the wrong one.

The structure could be tightened – and the confrontations between husband and wife lack both the credibility and the bite of the previous scenes - but Matthew Dunster’s production boasts a fine cast (including Ian Redford’s benign Archbishop Stephen who lacks the decisive edge exhibited by Scott Handy’s equally convincing PR man) and Pautz shows himself to be a writer to watch.

Cottesloe