"Moth". Pilch
This is Alec Tiffou’s second play. The first, Daddy Longlegs , was showered with praise, and Moth proves that Tiffou is no one-hit wonder. What a privilege to witness such prodigious talent at such a formative stage! Moth casts a spell over the riveted, focussed audience in the Pilch. Caught in its power we are helpless, like pinned moths ourselves. We laugh, we cry; we are by turns shocked, touched, bemused and horrified. Moth reveals its secrets with masterfully-controlled pace, so there will be no spoilers here. But it’s an incredibly intense four-hander, following a problem-ridden family through difficult times. Careering from outrageous confessions to superficially humdrum statements, it almost feels like the play is beating you up emotionally. I found myself bursting unexpectedly into tears at a moment of heart-piercing honesty one moment, then seconds later laughing out loud at an adroit piece of incongruity. The theatre is barricaded with content warnings for this show, so I