Completely ignorant of Simon Block’s writing (he is responsible for an adaptation of Everything is Illuminated as well as numerous scripts for TV dramas such as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Trust), on taking my seat for The New Wolsey’s latest in-house production, Chimps, I admit I was half expecting a situation Comedy along the lines of My Family. Although the opening scenes of a newly married couple in a domestic setting humourously squabbling seemed to bear this out, the tension quickly starts to ratchet after the arrival of two salesmen, Lawrence and Gabriel, who are determined to exploit the naivety of these first time buyers by selling them Ex Cote wall coating. What follows is a savage psychological drama that completely belies the play’s domestic setting, every bit as uncomfortable as torture films like Hostel.

Ironically the two salesmen, amusingly referred to as the ‘Window Sills’, are attempting to sell a product designed to seal the cracks in their house, by locating and exploiting the fissures in the couple’s own relationship, specifically the vanity of illustrator Mark who is striving to create his masterpiece (the laughably entitled ‘A is for Armadillo, B is for Bunny…’), and the suppressed frustration of his newly pregnant partner Stevie, who has had to pay all the bills since her other half walked out of his job. The psychological complexity and depth of play is enthralling and successfully drives what in reality is a very basic set up.

This is helped by some superb acting, which comes from a clear understanding of the layers of the characters. Although Gabriel seems to be the villain of the piece, actor Vinta Morgan told me afterwards that he tried to view him as a positive force, who strengthen the couple’s relationship by exposing its weaknesses. Like JB Priestley’s masterpiece An Inspector Calls (reviewed here), this is a play about a seemingly happy family being torn apart by a mysterious figure coming from the outside world, who lays bare the problems that were laying beneath the surface all along, the main difference being Chimps is chamber piece about human nature on a very basic level, whilst An Inspector Calls is an attack on an entire class. As in Priestley’s play there is a suggestion that the devilish Gabriel may not be off this world, a theory that seems to be suggested by his biblical name.

The Wolsey’s resident director Peter Rowe (also responsible for such classics as Sweeney Todd and Little Shop of Horrors) should also be congratulated for meeting the challenge of delivering the tension and pacing necessary for Chimps to succeed. In particular the set, which consists of two intricately decorated rooms with an imaginary dividing wall, considerably helps to give a sense of the divisions between the characters – in one scene, for instance, we see Stevie nervously waiting for Mark to give the Window Sills their marching orders, whilst they sit him down in the kitchen and begin to turn him against her, with the same articulate twisted logic that the devil uses in Paradise Lost.

It’s not only the couple’s relationship that has uneasy foundations. As soon as they are left alone in the room the salesmen’s power relationship is elegantly reversed. Although Mark seems to be playing the role of the ‘boss’, he is in reality a redundant butcher, attempting to move into sales, whilst Gabriel is his assessor, an expert confidence trickster attempting to drum the art of deception into his middle aged charge. What’s more he makes it clear that if Mark doesn’t close this deal he is out on his ear, adding a deeper layer of tension to the proceedings. The dialogue crackles and is at times Pinter-esque in its subtle weaving of banal subject matter that barely masks a sinister and darkly psychological subtext. With the economy in the state it is, Chimps seems very contemporary, so it is surprising to discover that it was written over a decade ago (although it has been rarely performed since).

Chimps is essential viewing for those who like dark and meaningful narratives and plays that attempt to engage with social issue and chart the murky depths of human psychology.

You can see it at The New Wolsey until 16 May.

Words > Dean Bowman