In Russia in the near future, Time is fracturing and the Fifth Doctor and Turlough are at the heart of the chaos. History is about to change.
In Russia in the near future, Time is fracturing and the Fifth Doctor and Turlough are at the heart of the chaos. History is about to change.
SINGULARITY
It’s certainly better than Scaredy Cat; that much was apparent from the start. But I can’t decide precisely how I feel about James Swallow’s Singularity, a story that marks both the return of Mark Strickson to the range as well as a return to the more “epic” running times that distinguished many of BF’s earlier releases. For every good point, it seeems as though there’s a bad one; perhaps the process of writing this review will help to collect my thoughts.
Singularity’s most immediate feature is its creativity: this is a play that deals with giant ideas. The central conflict is more epic than Doctor Who normally gets: the last remnants of humanity, abandonded by the Time Lords and clinging to their lives as the universe reaches heat death, travel back in time to transform the population of Earth into a massive hive mind. On the one hand, the Sleepers’ hatred for the Time Lords helps to drive the plot, justifying their knowledge and use of the TARDIS, but on the other hand, it sits uneasily with the themes of the play. Thematically, this is similar to the new series episode The End of the World, and I think the television story illustrates that hubris is a sufficient failing — the Time Lords don’t need to be there for the humans to rail against.
The plot builds slowly, but effectively, letting us see the Somnus Foundation through Lena’s eyes in the early going. It gives the senes that events are building to an epic climax, but this is undercut in the final episode, which takes way too long and features about ten too many scenes of bad guys yelling melodramatically and Strickson being forced to belt out “GET OUT OF MY MIND!!!,” all of which cause me to roll my eyes and check my watch. I’m also not sure how I feel about the final scene. It’s brilliantly acted, but does it fit the tone of the rest of the play? It seems like the perfect coda to an epic tragedy — but as this play seemed more a celebration of what humanity is rather than a condemnation of what it will become, the ending struck me as somewhat superfluous.
I’m also in two minds about the dialogue. Swallow absolutely nails the regulars, especially Turlough, and his present-day human characters are believable and sympathetic. But it appears that billions of years of evolution will transform humans into near-pantomime villains — “primitive savages” and “loathesome meddlers” abound. Fortunately, nobody tipped completely over the edge into “Thou craggy knob!” but it was touch and go for a while there. This is not to say that comic villainry has no place in Doctor Who, of course, but those sorts of exclamations just don’t fit the rest of the play at all.
On the acting front, Peter Davison seems to be underplaying the role of the Doctor this time around. It’s a very effective performance, but from time to time he sounds like he’s about to fall asleep — perhaps he read “Somnus” one too many times? His outrage at the abuse of the TARDIS is quite effective and his performance in the final scene is shockingly good. That’s the sort of thing reserved almost exclusively for McCoy, and yet Davison sounds right at home. Mark Strickson, meanwhile, makes his first appearance as Turlough since all the way back in Loups-Garoux, and he’s on fine form throughout. Swallow understands that Turlough is not a typical companion, and Strickson really gets into his character’s mix of cynicism, self-reliance, and paranoia. It’s a shame we can’t see more of Strickson in these audios — he and Davison make a unique, refreshing pair.
I’m not sure what to say about the supporting cast. Those playing the Sleepers, especially Eve Polycarpou as Qel, attack their lines like wild animals, wrenching every bit of OTT melodrama they can from the material. And yet Natasha Radiski and Oleg Mirochnikov provide much subtler, believable turns as Lena and Alexi, as does the rest of the “present-day” Russian cast. I’m not sure if I prefer the casting of actual Russians to simply ignoring the idea of accented English — on the one hand you’ve got an authentic Russian feel, but on the other you’ve got actors naturally struggling a bit with pacing and emphasis.
There are no complaints about the production, however. Steve Foxon’s sound design is exceptional — I’d never been to Russia until I listened to this play. His portrayal of the desolate future world Ember is similarly effective. Foxon’s music is the best of his work, though — it sounds just like a 1980s Doctor Who score, and I mean that as a compliment! I enjoyed Garr Russell’s direction — the pace flags a bit towards the end, but the rest of the play is suitably intriguing, and though the decisions made by some of the actors might not have been the best, there isn’t a weak performance to be found. The cover is beautiful as well.
Overall, I’m going to say that I liked Singularity, and that it’s an above-average release. It’s not a masterpiece, but its sheer volume of ideas, its solid characterization, and its exceptional production keep it afloat in the face of inconsistent theme and tone. I also get the feeling that this play will appeal greatly to the general fan population — I really don’t know why I’m unsure about it.
Recommended, all the same.
7/10