The fly in the ointment comes when details of the proposed film are revealed with the Studio not being forewarned and the publicist is interviewed and threated by two of the cast wearing dark glasses as studio personnel.  The publicist knows Marcus’s wife who is expecting a baby.  As well as handling the press for Marcus’s book and film, she is also concerned with his image and has to fight a shit storm which has her literally pulling her hair out. 

Marcus sets the publicist an unpleasant task, to do with his philandering and she is faced with the fall out after luring the target with the potential of a publishing deal.  The pitched for Breakfast television interview goes ahead and we meet the two, fawning, over the top hosts, Jamie and Jasmine (Joe Flynn and Julia-Hetta Johnson).  There is a great denouement to this play and the publicist has travelled a realistic arc where her reputation is so tightly wound up in that of her client.  

The actors are believable.  Julia Pilkington switches from manipulative to flirty to persuasive, finely.  Joe Flynn has the most difficult role.  Julia-Hetta Johnson has a versatile and interesting acting range excelling at comic moments.  As Natasha, Georgina Collins shows two sides of her personality. 

Emily Ritchie, who is also a real life press manager, co-directs with the writer in the tiny space that is the Libra Theatre Café using clothes racks between scenes. Being a publicist sounds like an exciting show biz job but its complexity handling these personalities isn’t always easy.  I’d like to see this play developed for a much longer run as it is such a promising start.  I was reminded of the task of the publicist in trying to protect The Salt Path from the harmful publicity – but there’s another play!