If the title or the opening music doesn’t give it away, the first few lines definitely will: The Curse is about menstruation, violence, and perhaps a little something more. Originally conceived as a 10-minute short, the play, written by Jane Bradley, has been lengthened into an hour-long instalment of a modern horror story surrounding two teenage girls just out of secondary school.
Without wishing to sound too arrogant, both my companion and I got the ‘twist’ of the play around five minutes in. I spent the remainder of the play trying to work out what possible way the writer could flip this around to twist the plot even more, but in the end my initial thoughts were played out in front of me, after plenty of wordplay hints in the dialogue and projections onto the back of the stage which massively foreshadowed my later confirmed suspicions.
The final scene was an effectively shocking and gruesome 15-second ‘reveal’, although perhaps more could have been done to play with the ideas behind this scene, or to provide more action or confrontation so that those audience members who guess the ending do not feel short-changed. The ending hinges on the ‘reveal’, but as I spent an hour waiting for it I was slightly underwhelmed; although the scene itself was good, it did not feel like enough of an ending.
The performances were all good, although the first scene did verge worryingly close to overly hammy at some points. I would have liked to see the subtleties of the characters brought out a little more, which were hinted at but not fully explored, although overall I felt that the actors clearly knew their characters well and grew more believable and enjoyable to watch over the course of the action. 
It was also refreshing and empowering to see periods spoken about so openly and comfortably on-stage, by both male and female characters. Other topics which affect many women were also discussed, such as dress codes and cat-calling, in interesting ways. Again, it was wonderful to see these things spoken about openly, although perhaps the frustration and uncontrollable rage the character of Char feels at these injustices could have been developed more.
Three Minute Theatre felt like the perfect venue for this. Described in the programme as ‘the only purpose-built vintage recycled indie theatre in Manchester’s city centre’, it is a beautifully quirky and cute venue with murals and old posters and a genuine feel of warmth, a great setting for a play which speaks so comfortably and candidly about both the natural and the horrendous.
The play itself has bags of potential, with a strong cast and solidly good dialogue. The plot could have been improved with a few red herrings and gentle nuances, and the ending could have used a little more tension-building, or even action. The thought, hard work, and good ideas are clearly evident, however, so The Curse does have the initial makings of what could be made into a very good play indeed.
Reviewed On: 10th March 2016
Reviewed By: Hannah Torbitt
