EDINBURGH GUIDE
When a play has the Masterson seal, it very rarely disappoints. After surviving sixteen years on the Fringe, Guy Masterson is a master pedagogue, a purveyor of quality Fringe shows, and the Sociable Plover is one from his top drawer.
This is one very difficult play to tell the story of, without giving away the wonderful twists and turns of the plot. However, try I must.
Tim Whitnall's script is superb, it is a comedy of manners, dark indeed black in bits but highly comedic. Fun lines like "I was Nijinsky with Mr Muscle", or "a lifetime of Paste" stay in the memory.
Picture the scene, a birdwatcher's hut or hide on the marshes, an anal retentive, obsessive compulsive twitcher is laying out his space for today's ornithological session, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare Vanellus gregarius, the Sociable Plover, which would complete his collection of twitched British birds.
Our first view is of a pedantic and precise Roy Tunt (Guy Masterson) constructing his mobile desk within the hide, pencils to attention, all things in their meticulous place.
Suddenly a stranger arrives in the hut, Magwitch style, wet, highly suspicious, a working class Londoner called Dave (Ronnie Toms). It would appear the stranger is the exact opposite of the middleclass Roy.
The "townie", Jack the lad labourer, verses the Tory countryman, could be implied. Condescension becomes the immediate language weapon used by Roy to dominate the situation.
So it begins and that's as far as I am going to take the story, although what I will tell you is that the twists and turns of this play are exquisite and are beautifully unpredictable. It's a brilliant journey of a story, extremely well told by two superb craftsmen who work well off each other.
The interactive relationship between Masterson and Toms builds beautifully, and nostalgically reminded me of the very best acting, from the Play for Today series of the black and white television days.
This a brilliant two hander of a play, in which the acting, writing, and direction give us a masterclass in what criteria should be applied when you talk about the very best of Fringe theatre. Enough said! No there's a bit more.
Simply, excellent, thank you for an extremely enjoyable afternoon, gentlemen!
(John Ritchie, 13/08/09 - Edinburgh Guide)

THEATRE IN WALES
It is every playwright's dream when a production company takes a film option on that early piece that once briefly played a small studio space. Nonetheless, it does happen. It has happened this year to one of Wales' best theatre writers as it happened to writer Tim Whitnall. August 19th Film4 showed the film adaptation of his two-hander the Sociable Plover.
Premiered at the Old Red Lion Theatre in 2005 its well-deserved revival, directed by the author, was one of six plays from the Guy Masterson production stable presented at Edinburgh 2009. It had the added allure that the lead part had attracted Guy Masterson himself away from his customary solo performances. 'A stretch' he has said 'One of those roles that just don't pop up... a challenge that has reminded me that acting is not always uncomplicated.'
From the viewer's perspective Whitnall's character Roy Tunt is simply a glorious creation, milked by Guy Masterson for all he is worth. The play's first few minutes are played in silence and a half-light as Roy tidies his bird-watching hide, surgical gloves fastidiously worn and discarded. With his thermos, his chicken paste sandwiches, his model train set, his mince of a walk and his pedantic phraseology Roy is clearly one of the quiet ones.
With the irruption of Ronnie Toms' taut, scarred Dave, gun in back pocket, the action leaps into gear and Tim Whitnall's dialogue flies. 'Got you down as a scotch egg man?' asks Roy offering Dave a bite to eat. Speaking of his tidy home he was 'like Nijinsky with the Mr Muscle.' Discoursing on the passion of the ornithologist he sings the high-note song of the winter warbler and mimics the sound of a passing gaggle of geese.
His protagonist is the boy with the estuary accent who was expelled from school. His holidays were spent in 'Saarf-end', his favourite adjective is 'faarking', he has a beloved bother in the forces. For Roy's benefit he runs through his list of past livelihoods. Included among the unskilled occupations 'I was a painter, once.' 'Really?' says Roy, 'Portrait or landscape?' 'Naa- corridors!'
The Sociable Plover is a model of what a two-hander ought to be, crisp, fresh dialogue, a satisfying arc of a plot with a clever authorial twist, an economical sixty minutes that does not stay a minute too long.
As genres theatre and film are both separate and symbiotic. It is rare that a viewer gets to see film and play just eight days apart and the contrast is instructive. The film has a lot of class, led by the photography of the Suffolk marshes and a fine music score. But it is interesting that a performance text is much more protean. The film is a genre-defined thriller. The audience began to chortle over Roy's first five minutes of finickety preparations. That laughter continued to roll. If the audience laughs that is what it becomes, a comedy, and a deliciously black one at that. Production values were very high. Set and sound design were not credited in the programme but Robyn Clogg must have been involved. Overall, The Sociable Plover made for a fine and wholly satisfying addition to the Masterson track record
(Adam Somerset - 21/08/09 Theatre In Wales)

FEST MAGAZINE
The Sociable Plover is a twisting tale of intrigue and, strangely, bird-watching. Enjoying its Fringe-only run as part of hyperactive director Guy Masterson's epic Edinburgh festival innings - he's directing four productions in total - this may be the avid theatre-goer's last chance to catch this remarkably captivating play on stage.
Starring Masterson as the reclusive ornithologist Roy Tunt, this is in large part an exploration of the distinctively male obsession with collecting things. Tunt is on the cusp of entering into bird-watching legend, as he sets out in his hideaway to record a rare sighting of the sociable plover when in bursts cockney geezer Dave John seeking shelter from the rain. The two pass the time chatting, in an awkward, staccato kind of way, slowly bonding as the hours slip by. But proceedings quickly turn dark, when Tunt receives a radio message from the police, informing him of the presence of a dangerous fugitive in the area; describing a man who looks eerily like John.
This is a superbly performed production, which works brilliantly despite its seemingly rather pedestrian premise. Masterson captures perfectly Tunt's intense banality, while co-star and author Tim Whitnail is simultaneously a lovable yet slightly sinister cockney rogue. With a cruel twist and a wickedly dark sense of humour, catching this excellent production before its run ends... perhaps for the last time... is highly recommendable.
(Ben Judge 22/08/09 - Fest Magazine)

FRINGEREVIEW.COM
Lights gently come up on a twitchers' hut. Enter Roy Tunt, ornithologist, carefully tidying up, ready for a possible marathon shift watching for the prize sighting of that rarest of birds, the Sociable Plover, talking to a framed photo of his wife. Enter "Dave", a name quickly plucked from the air by a character with a hunted look in his eye. Why is Dave out here in the wilderness? Is he really walking off a hangover, simply sheltering from the rain?
The claustrophobic setting of a small hut in a flooded forest provides the ideal vessel for a black comedy that is full of witty interplay, allowing both Ronnie Toms and Guy Masterson to play off each other, explore the human condition, get on each other's nerves and, most of all, find common ground through their mutual differences.
Secrets are hinted at, secrets are revealed in a play that manages to flow beautifully from start to finish. There's a marvellous sense of waiting, not just for the bird of the play's title to finally show itself, but also for the mysteries at the heart of the play to also emerge. Silences are as important as the witty dialogue; there's as much comedy in a sideways glance or a grunt from Masterson as there is from some of the marvellous banter that forms the engine of this two-hander. Ronnie Toms plays "Dave John" with such impressive comic timing, he's funny as a straight man to Masterson's highly comic attempt to be the straight man himself. We end up with an often hilarious verbal duel of two men both trying to be the straight man. What a bit of genius writing!
This is a play with all the hallmarks of outstanding direction: pitch-perfect timing between the two characters; an attention to detail - the opening five minutes of the play are hilarious as we enjoy Tunt's ritualistic tidying of the Twitchers' hut. Tension builds well towards the end of the play and, without revealing, the tale's sting, the reaction of the audience said it all - the build-up is perfect, the climax just right, the ending, touching and played with just the right touch of pathos.
Dialogue plays work best when the writer isn't noticed and, in The Sociable Plover, the writer has retreated into the background allowing the comedy to blend splendidly with the darker themes and unfolding events. The director has allowed the very best in these two actors to come forward as well - the tension between the two of them, which develops into a kind of uneasy "entente cordialle" is the basis for much of the comedy punch.
The set is all of a piece, and there's much to be said here for the symmetry of it - we're right-angle-on, seeing two sides of the hut, looking through invisible outer walls into the space; and there's clever lighting and soundscape to really evoke the twitchers' realm.
Fine writing, fine acting, sharp and strong directing, this is direct, dark comedy theatre at its very best.
(Paul Levy 21/08/09 - Fringereview.com)

WHAT'S ON STAGE
They don't call him 'Mr Edinburgh' for nothing. Guy Masterson knows a thing or two about putting on a good Fringe show... and this neat little comedy, one of six productions of his at this year's festival, is a case in point.
The Sociable Plover, first seen at London's Old Red Lion in 2005, was the debut play by Tim Whitnall, the author of another Masterson 2009 offering, Morecambe, which has just won a Fringe First Award. Whitnall and Masterson decided to revive the two-hander just for the fun of it, something to fill a bit more time during their month in Edinburgh. (Whitnall, who directs, was also meant to co-star, but a knee injury forced him to withdraw.)
Masterson plays Roy Tunt, a fastidious bird-watching geek on the brink of ornithological greatness: he's just one sighting away from recording every British bird. The sociable plover of the title has always eluded him, but it's Roy's big day; the plover is close. In a dimly lit hide in the Suffolk marshes, he settles in with his binoculars, notebooks and Tupperware stacks filled with carefully prepared sandwiches.
His plans are disturbed by the unexpected arrival of Dave (Ronnie Toms) - a bird of a very different feature... a working-class, gun-toting Cockney is a spiffy dark suit. Despite their differences, the two men seem to rub along nicely, until the stakes are raised by a walkie-talkie alert about a fugitive who may match Dave's description. Here Whitnall's story takes a remarkably nasty turn, with a twist in the tail that's totally surprising. Things... and people... are not at all what they initially seem.
Masterson and Toms make a terrific team in a terrifically dark and suspenseful play. Definitely not just for bird-watchers.
(Terri Paddock 22/08/09 - What's On Stage)

THE DAILY MIRROR
This new two hander play written and directed by Tim Whitnall and starring Fringe director & producer extraordinaire Guy Masterson alongside Ronnie Toms, is very tasty, very accessible and yet surprisingly dark joy.
Set in a bird hyde on the marshes, it opens with Roy Tunt (Masterson) cleverly but silently displaying the kind of man he is, allowing us, as he does, to settle into the world of this drama. He is in search of the rare Sociable Plover, to complete his bird-watching career.
Just when we feel we have established Roy's world, the status quo is shattered by a sudden intruder; an intruder both physically and culturally and its in this collosion that we get to the meat, in all senses, of the play.
Performed with precison and wit by both actors, the drama unpacks itself effortlessly and heads towards a surprising twist. It pulls you in right away and doesn't release you until the final curtain.
This is a thoroughly satisfying piece of drama that put me in mind of many 60s and 70s Play For Today. It is written with excellent pace and no small degree of craft.
Dave's character could have a little more developed perhaps as we only get a headline indication of what brings him to this place, in this state of mind, but that would be to quibble and perhaps be greedy. This is Roy Tunt's big day; a day which turns out to be his biggest day of all.
Perfect Fringe drama that stimulates and satisfies.
(John Nicholson 18/08/09 - The Daily Mirror)