Stunning Script Meets Design Simplicity in ‘Sea Wall’
Alex (Craig Norton) works as a photographer for British Home Stores, he gets to travel regularly to his father in law’s villa in the south of France, he has a loving wife and an eight year old daughter named Lucy. It would seem Alex has it all, but suddenly everything begins to slip from his grasp.
After playing in July as a part of the Domino One-Act Play Festival, Sea Wall by Simon Stephens and directed by Michael Catlin is back as a part of the 2025 TK Fringe Festival. Entering the space, the stage is bare aside from a small foot-high stool with a plastic water bottle sitting on top. The sound design by Peter Cassidy fills the room prior to the show with the relentless noise of crashing waves. The audience is hushed even before the show as we sit in the serene yet slightly off-putting setting.
When Norton enters, he wears a simple white dress shirt and black dress pants; an elegant combination that does not draw the attention too much, forcing the audience to focus on the language. The lighting, designed by Tim Fort, also remains a plain wash for nearly the entire production. This simplicity inherent to every aspect of the production’s design suits Stephens’ script wonderfully as it contains one of the most raw and deep characters I have ever seen created in such a short span of time. Letting the language be the focal point was a smart choice on behalf of the entire team.
When Norton begins speaking, his tone is conversational, to the point where I found myself leaning in slightly to hear him from the small space’s back row. The script was originally written to be performed by Andrew Scott, and so there are some European colloquialisms included in the text. Norton opts out of using an accent, a decision which allows for a more natural tone, yet he uses one whenever quoting one of his family members. This mixed bag of accents adds some unnecessary confusion which could have been easily avoided by choosing whether or not the family was European. Throughout the piece he frequently shifts weight from one foot to another, giving the character a nervous feel. Whenever he takes a pause he stands perfectly still, then resumes shifting as soon as he begins to speak again. In such a devastating script that is so text-heavy stillness is a powerful tool, and in this production it is sorely underutilized.
Simons’ script is undeniably beautiful, and this Kingston production includes many elements that suit the tone well. Unfortunately with such a deep and complicated character in such a brief script, the performer has to be masterful in every element of the text, and Norton is not quite equipped for such a task. Sea Wall is easily one of the most stunning texts for a solo show to have come out of the 21st century; it will be in Fringe until August 17th if you want the chance to hear it live.
‘Sea Wall’ plays until August 17, 2025 at Confederation Place Hotel in the TK Fringe as part of The Kick & Push Festival. More information about the festival can be found here.
