What links a disintegrating spaceship to a posh garden party, where a wealthy couple are celebrating their love for each other in style?
What links a disintegrating spaceship to a posh garden party, where a wealthy couple are celebrating their love for each other in style?
NO MORE LIES
With only one story to go before the climactic two-parter of the BBC7 radio series from Big Finish, it starts to become evident to me that the range is lacking that classic story, that “hook” to proclaim “This is us at our best!” I was thus reassured by the knowledge of an upcoming Paul Sutton play, expecting great things from the writer of “Arrangements for War” and “Thicker than Water” — and for the second time in a row I was let down, this time by an unnecessarily convoluted script and some questionable sound design and direction.
There appeared to be some debate upon the airing of this play over its use of in medias res at the start — I don’t think there’s any doubt that it is a dynamic and effective dramatic device if used properly, but I don’t think it’s executed well at all in “No More Lies.” It’s clear, first of all, that Sutton doesn’t view the Doctor and Lucie’s reasons for pursuing Zimmerman (Nigel Havers) as necessary to the drama — and in plot terms, they’re not, as the important thing is to get them to the garden party. But we never really pin down our main characters’ motivations: later, when they give reasons for being upset with Zimmerman, they list events that actually were portrayed at the start. It also doesn’t help that the opening scenes aboard Zimmerman’s ship are abysmally realized on audio: the play falls into the trap of using loud, indistinct noises to communicate action, forgetting that the audience has no other material to work with.
Fortunately, the drama improves once the play reaches Earth. We’re dropped into the middle of things again, this time left to wonder why and how Zimmerman appears to have changed so dramatically. The relationship he has built with Rachel (Julia McKenzie) over the years is romantic and believable, and is the obvious strength of the play, as well as one of the hallmarks of a Sutton script. I enjoyed his motive for setting up the time loop, and his desperation as events conspired to break the loop demonstrated how his character had changed since his first encounter with the Doctor and Lucie. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the play was being padded out despite its short length: many of the scenes with Gordon (Tom Chadbon), while entertaining, are almost totally unnecessary, and the Tar-Modowk are among the more clichéd plot device monsters in the history of the range.
The characterization is a bit odd in the case of the regulars. Paul McGann’s eighth Doctor continues on his darker, more vengeful course, but Lucie’s portrayal is odd. She seems remarkably conversant with the technology on Zimmerman’s ship, and there’s almost no hint of her contentious relationship with the Doctor. Admittedly, this is an unusual situation, but the impression is given that a lot of time has passed since the first four stories in the range. That said, this play is a showcase for Sheridan Smith, who is put into the “proactive companion” role of not needing the Doctor for the first time. Havers’ performance is exceptional, his voice switching from the youthful, sinister Zimmerman of the opening scenes to the serene old man of the remainder. McKenzie’s character doesn’t accomplish much, though she gets a heartbreaking scene with Havers at the conclusion. Chadbon plays a reliable role with his usual unintentional charm. And Katarina Olsson’s Headhunter finally gets a significant scene at the very end, setting up the concluding two-parter.
The production is disappointing. Gareth Jenkins’ sound design, unusually, does not adequately communicate what is happening, neither at the beginning nor at the action of the climax. Of course, part of this is down to the script, which erred perhaps too much on the side of “no expository dialogue.” There’s also the problem of loud footsteps — it seems almost every scene at the party is punctuated by loud crunching noises in the gravel. Tim Sutton’s music is very good, and appropriate for the script, but unfortunately it’s overused: almost every scene ends with a protracted musical transition that often lasts between 15 and 30 seconds. This is the primary source of the “padded” feeling I get from the play: even the opening scenes sound drawn-out, which gives the impression that director Barnaby Edwards was trying to stretch the play to fit the BBC7 running time. The disc is rounded out with interviews with Havers, McKenzie, and Chadbon.
I think the best word to describe “No More Lies” is “muddled.” The opening scenes are loud and indistinct, the script isn’t structured particularly well, and the direction makes the whole thing feel overlong. There’s some wonderful character work at the heart of this, and some excellent performances, so it’s not “bad” as such, but it makes me wonder if it wouldn’t have been best to leave this material for a short story, as it doesn’t work very well on audio.
Disappointing.
5/10