Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: David Warner, Susannah Harker, Mark Gatiss, Victoria Carling, Philip McGough, Daniel Weyman, Matthew Steer, Caroline Morris.
Humanity has an unnerving ability to create havoc and pressure on itself that in the individual comes across, at best as anxiety, at worst domineering deflection, the trauma of a past event manifesting itself as control, of wanting supposedly the best for someone in your life but directing, supervising every minute detail of the event in question, that they are left on the point of mental suffocation, of supplicating their own desires for the safety of keeping quiet so as not to cause an argument.
The Perfect Day, the moment in two people’s lives that invariably gets taken over by the well-meaning and the dominant personalities, and whilst there are weddings that are just sublime, beautiful, creative, natural, there are some which have become more about what is hidden, rather than what is real.
However much we all like to be part of something special, to celebrate the love of two people, if you step back and take a look beyond the confetti and the vows, there is a moment in which the manifestation of blemish that will arise, the drunkenness of the best man, the sense of weakness at the altar, the hesitation on the lips of thanks, but perhaps it is the scene that unfolds, the inevitable fight, that catches the attention, and in which the Perfect Day becomes lightning captured in a bottle and one that threatens to cause ripples that become stormy waters.
The arts are full of stories that frame this emotional rollercoaster, but science fiction is arguably one of the few that truly envelops itself in the narrative, the ceremony aside, such as Dale Arden’s wedding to Ming The Merciless in Flash Gordon for example, the surrounding conflicts, especially with Time, are never explored.
The Steve Lyons Sapphire and Steel audio drama, Perfect Day, doesn’t just touch upon the fears and issues surrounding such an event, it happily sails those stormy waters with all the force of a torpedo aimed perfectly at the bow of happiness and marks each guest down as being the reason for the failure of hopes and dreams. Domineering deflection dictates that rage and anger will follow, and the fingers pointed declaring all and sundry are responsible.
Time in a bottle, when sheltering a storm absolving all sins, is a conductor of immense power and shame. Time becomes fractured in such circumstances, the memories of the day become skewed, one-sided, resentful; the Perfect Day lost.
With tremendous performances by Mark Gatiss, reprising his role as Gold from the first season of Sapphire and Steel audio dramas, and Victoria Carling and David Warner in their respective roles, Perfect Day is a reminder that perfection is an illusion created by need, adhered to by those who can employ Time as a weapon. Thought-provoking and exciting, Perfect Day is a drama of consequences enraged.
Ian D. Hall