For centuries playwrights have laughed at naive provincials who find themselves cheated and robbed in the big city. In her subtle and sad new play Catherine Tregenna tells the archetypal story of country lads lost in the metropolis from the point of view not of the villains, but of the victims.
Art and Guff, two gauche Welsh boys from Kidwelly, arrive in London with hopes of becoming famous writers. Instead, they are ripped off by their neighbours, Nicky and Sues, a pair of streetwise hippies.
The strength of Tregenna's writing lies in the fully imagined world of Art and Guff, two losers who only dimly realise that they are out of their depth. Details of their childhood friendship, their dependence on their parents, and their previous attempts to leave home all emerge in an unforced and revealing way.
The relationship of the two men is a tangle of petty deceptions, small rivalries and empty dreams - yet they are also genuinely fond of each other. Compared to the nasty coolness of Nicky and Sues, Art and Guff have warmth, innocence and low-level fear of life.
Jointly produced by Soho Theatre and Sgript Cymru, this piece is set in a bedsit, designed by Sean Crowley, that is so squalid you can almost smell the rancid milk stains.
Sympathetically directed by Bethan Jones, the cast - Richard Harrington as Art, Roger Evans playing Guff, Ralph Arliss (Nicky) and Glenna Morrison (Sues) - explore the emotional bleakness and youthful agony that give the play its punch.
Despite its darkness, the ending does have a glimmer of hope as Art finally understands the truth about his life.
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