‘Double Cut’ @ Rover Dramawerks
Show photos by Andie Pace
—Hannah Kneen
Perhaps you’re looking for lesser-known theatrical gems, or keen to discover something just a bit unusual? Double Cut by British writer Alfred Shaughnessy (directed by Sara Jones with an assist from Andie Pace) might be the play for you. It certainly fits the mission of Plano-based Rover Dramawerks, centered around producing theatre that is “off the beaten path”—a noble goal that, I find, is often a lot of fun.
The plot of Double Cut (set in the mid-1970s) focuses on South African diamond heiress Olivia Prescott (played by Bryn Hottman), whose world turns on its head as a man claiming to be her brother appears at her villa on the Costa del Sol. One problem: her brother Ward is dead. Or at least that’s what everyone thought. Unfortunately, this man—though Olivia is sure he’s an imposter—is incredibly successful in convincing everyone he is who he says he is. His papers confirm his identity and he seems to know things that only Olivia’s brother could know.
As evidence piles up to support the man’s claims and the household fills with the people “Ward Prescott” has brought in, Olivia grows frantic and desperate to prove he’s an imposter. As the play progresses, we must ask ourselves some hard questions: Is he really an imposter? Is Olivia hiding something? Is she confused? Crazy? And what’s all this about £10 million worth of disappeared diamonds?
Part thriller and part mystery, this play certainly keeps us guessing. From the dead(?) brother, played by Aidan Fenton, ever confident and unhesitating in his role, to Olivia’s sympathetic uncle Charles (Scott Hickman), to the sharp police officer Vargas (Ana Ortega-Williams), to Olivia herself, these characters are full of surprises that keep the story exciting.
Trying to pull off a tricky and unusual accent (several of the characters are supposed to be South African) and then ending up with a critic in the audience who’s from that country (me) might have given this group the jitters if they’d known. But they make a good effort, and most of them land with an accent adjacent to British, which most people wouldn’t be able to find too much fault with. The play also seems to require some quick costume changes that result in an unfortunate amount of dead air onstage. It’s a shame, because the play has some pretty fun pacing going for it, with shocking new information and suspenseful cliffhangers galore.
While there seems to be some discomfort in the body language of the actors, the plot is engaging, and there are more than a few good moments. Even the smaller parts get their times to shine, and the tech does a good job of setting the tone and supporting the story without being overbearing. (Special kudos to sound designer Geoffrey Dail on that one.) As the play shifts between being confounding, disconcerting, intense, unsettling, funny, and heartfelt the performers and technical elements pivot deftly to keep up. All around, Double Cut seems to have a good team working to put on a show that keeps us wondering right up to the big reveal.
The audience’s experience of the show (and mine) seemed to be about repeatedly asking questions: Who’s lying? Who’s telling the truth? Is anyone being honest? And when the truth is finally revealed, is the story over? Turns out, the cherry on top of Double Cut’s twisting, turning plot is an all-important question that’s asked at the very last moment—a question that makes our eyes open wide.
WHEN: September 11-27, 2025
WHERE: The Cox Playhouse, 1517 H Ave, Plano TX
WEB: roverdramawerks.com
