People, Places and things, the highly acclaimed play by Duncan Macmillan is now on tour around the leading University cities at the same time as the original cast open on Broadway. It is a very modern play dealing as it does with mental health , alcoholism and drug addiction and the need to avoid the people, places and things that trigger that addiction. It is not comfortable viewing but the overall sense at the end is admiration for the central performance of Lisa Dwyer Hogg and the slick production and direction of Jeremy Herrin.
Lisa Dwyer Hogg plays Emma (or Nina or Sarah) the actress who following an on stage breakdown checks into a clinic for addiction therapy. At times we can't tell if she is acting, lying, or telling the truth and it demands a full on intense performance being on stage throughout the production . It must be exhausting to play and though we never like the character we can't take our eyes off her as she painfully reveals her inner most thoughts.
