Woody Allen once said, "You're always trying to get things to come out perfect in art because it's real difficult in life", a sentiment that well reflects the difficulties of producing a play in the busy Cambridge theatre scene. In this case, the art in question is the dramatic exploration of a meeting between central characters Fred and Jim; one, a madman fixated by the radio signal he receives through his mind, the other a nervous writer secretly trapped in his extra-marital affair. Riverside Drive might not quite be perfect, but it is a neat, well-staged and amusing piece of theatre, powerfully driven by its energetic cast.

Seb Sutcliffe, as Jim, is remarkably similar in both appearance and mannerisms to Woody Allen himself.  His awkward persona is played with minute attention to detail, especially in his physical movements and uncomfortable twitches. In fact, it is physical comedy that defines this play, and praise must also be given to Saul Boyer as Fred, whose utterly unrestrained and forceful performance gave a dynamic feel to the play as a whole. The interaction between the pair was equally strong and perfectly timed, allowing the audience to feel the friction easing between the characters as it slowly began to wear down.  Ellen Robertson's more minor role as Barbara was also well conceived, and it was a shame that the script only called for a few brief appearances from her character.

Contrast played an important role in the play. The juxtaposition between Fred's erudite words on philosophers and his often bestial movements provided many amusing scenes. Equally, Jim's self-restraint, peppered by infrequent bursts of physical energy, revealed the torment of his affair. The script took a little while to get moving, but once the characters had been firmly introduced the actors were really able to draw out the humour in the writing. The philosophical jokes formed the comedic backbone of the play, and helped it to flow on stage as a coherent piece. Being a single act play, there was a fair amount of pressure on the actors to keep up the momentum, yet for the most part the cast's snappy witticisms and natural movements achieved this.

The frankly brilliant graphic design of the posters and diary-esque programme (created by Glenn Rhodes) added a sense of comic realism to the world that the cast were trying to create. Equally, the American accents from all three cast members were generally believable, as were the contemporary costumes. It was ultimately a very witty and adeptly realised piece of drama, led by a small but superbly talented cast who did real justice to their script.