Spur of the Moment by Anya Reiss
Published by Oberon Books
Review by Allison Johnstone
At one point during the reading of Spur of the Moment, I wondered if Anya Reiss had been eavesdropping on rows I have had with my husband, so precise is her dialogue.
When Nick and Vicky enter the stage, they are having a civilised conversation, then Nick asks if she would like a cup of tea, and all hell breaks loose, with the impressive verbal ping-pong culminating in a mug-throwing incident. This reader wondered no more why Miss Reiss’s debut has won so many plaudits and awards.
Spur of the Moment is a mature, fast-paced, sharply observed short play that will resonate with older students. It follows the precocious Delilah on the eve of her 13th birthday, as she flirts with her 21-year-old lodger under the noses of her bickering parents.
The play highlights the distance within close relations – between her mother Vicky, still smarting following the affair Nick has just ended; between troubled Daniel, the lodger, and his clingy, perceptive girlfriend Leonie; between Delilah herself and her parents, and friends.
Reiss’s dialogue is short and sharp throughout as characters spit out their frustrations, anger and troubles. The denouement, with Delilah’s childish manipulation of her parents, is exceptionally perceptive.
This is an intense play that should, like all drama, be seen. But Miss Reiss’s talent for dialogue is a lesson for us all. Not least to behave in a more grown-up manner when arguing with one’s husband!