Reviewing new writing always presents a difficult line to tread, particularly when two out of the three writers of the piece are involved in the performance of their own work, as is true of Indelible Acts (Jack Gamble performs in his own play, whilst Tom Powell is the director of the entire three-play affair): are you reviewing the writing or the performance? Fortunately, with Indelible Acts there was little discrepancy between the two: both were of an almost sickeningly high standard.

The first play of the trio, Jack Gamble’s Speaking Terms, begins with a deceptively bumbling monologue endearingly performed by Gamble himself, winning laughs from the audience before the tone abruptly changes with the entrance of Jamie Hansen’s arresting Tony. The contrast between Gamble’s effete author and Hansen’s bristling ne’er-do-well was well illustrated, creating a sense of quiet menace, and although the play’s concluding revelation about a dead friend’s wife felt a little clichéd, the dialogue and premise were clever enough to leave the audience tantalised rather than disappointed at the lack of resolution.

Stephen Bermingham’s Nighthawks also suffered from a slightly lacklustre ending, although the split narrative between two historical periods worked well, and the frenetic pace was impressively kept up by Fiona Stainer and Justin Wells. The largely static staging was a risk that paid off: the audience’s attention didn’t waver, and the use of an actual bar (!) was aesthetically gorgeous. Wells’ performance was as impressive as his excellent accent, but Stainer’s could have done with more nuance, although this may have been to do with a lack of variation in her dialogue and the challenge of inspiring empathy for a drunken banker. Overall, however, it was flawlessly executed, with both the lyrically interweaving dialogue and the fact that Bermingham managed to find pathos and originality in an almost over-familiar theme worthy of recognition.

The final play of the evening, Tom Powell’s The Light of Other Days, boasted less impressive staging than its two predecessors, but the writing was anything but bare: dense and masterfully crafted, Powell’s play is one that could stand re-watching over again to catch its complexity and sheer bare-faced intelligence. Katie Polglase’s performance as Volrath is at once both muscular and vulnerable, her physicality perfectly pitched against the guffawing drunkenness of Wells, Stainer and Megan Henson’s arrogant students. Again the play falters a little in its conclusion, but the abstract nature of the staging and the dialogue mean this is a minor issue in the face of a very impressive piece of work.

Powell, Gamble and Bermingham have created three arresting pieces, and the execution of them, perfect for the intimacy of Pembroke New Cellars, happily does the excellent writing justice. Put simply, ‘Indelible Acts’ is very, very good.

The Theatre Editor would like to apologise for the lateness of this review