Review: Girl Out of the Blue at the Tabard Theatre — a boozy, Pirandellian date-night that unpicks belief and consequence

# What the play is

Girl Out of the Blue opens with a simple setup: a seasoned foreign correspondent agrees to meet a young journalist in a wine bar. The meeting turns out to be anything but ordinary when the young woman claims to be the journalist's daughter. That claim — and the uncertainty around it — is the engine of Giles Cole's new play.

# Who's involved

The central quartet comprises Doug (Jonathan Sidgwick), his wife Maya (Seeta Indrani), the young woman Abi (Miranda Braun) who arrives "out of the blue," and Abi's mother Beth (Sarah Berger). Director Jonas Cemm stages the piece at the Tabard Theatre with design by Bethany Blake and music by William Godfree. Philip Rham reviewed the production for Everything Theatre and rated it Good.

# How the story unfolds

# Staging and tone

The production embraces a conversational, often comic tone (there's a recurring visual joke of bottles being poured at the start of many scenes). It skirts the risk of being a collection of small scenettes by using slick scene changes and a modular set of panels that allow actors to enter and exit smoothly. Godfree's jaunty piano links add quirk and lift transitions.

# Performances and direction

# Issues noted

Audibility is the main production weakness mentioned. Important lines and tense moments sometimes lacked vocal presence, which diminished some of the laughs and emotional punches. The reviewer suggests this is rectifiable within the current staging.

# Why it matters to theatregoers

If you want a compact, socially rooted drama that toys with credibility and consequence, Girl Out of the Blue offers sharp dialogue, nimble pacing, and an economical production that keeps the audience engaged. It's a contained piece that relies on character interaction and shifting loyalties rather than spectacle.

# Practical details

Written by Giles Cole and directed by Jonas Cemm, the play is at the Tabard Theatre until Saturday 10 October. Technical credits called out in the review include Bethany Blake for design and William Godfree for music. The review characterises the show as entertaining and persuasive, with room for improvement in vocal projection to fully realise its comic and dramatic moments.