Chains at the Orange Tree

Chains is a play about the triumph of the monotony of a steady (but poorly paid) job over the hope of a new life in the colonies.

A young single Edwardian man manages to escape to Australia, which is generally seen as madness by everybody else but one man (married) and his sister in-law see the attraction and he makes plans to escape too.

The play is an emotional tale, with very little action, that takes place over just a few days in the sitting rooms of two houses. It well acted (mostly, the mother-in-law I found to be unconvincing, but that could have been the direction) and well staged but lacked that certain something to make it memorable.

I also found the frequent use of music by Philip Glass rather incongruous as it was written well after the period of the play. If it was meant to represent monotony by its constant repetition then that's not a metaphor that I agree with, I love Philip Glass' music!