THE West End production of David Mamet's play Oleanna caused a huge stir when it premiered several years ago, writes Steve Murray.

Newspapers devoted many column inches to debating its themes and audiences differed hugely in their reactions to the play's only two characters, John and Carol.

Oleanna explores the theme of power and the use of the nuance of language to exert influence over others.

John, a college professor, is perceived as a sexist, power-seeking, authoritarian bully by his student Carol, despite his claims to be simply trying to help her.

Is he right or is he subconsciously perpetuating the male's traditional undermining of the female and ultimately reinforcing the divisive nature of society?

This is up to the individual to decide, but makes it evident that strong performances are required from both characters for the play work on any level.

Derek Jacob and Jill Priest rose to the challenge well when they performed the play in the close-knit atmosphere of the Abbey Theatre's studio last week.

Both displayed a commendable grasp of the narrative and thus succeeded in engaging the audience in the play's themes and eliciting debate after the final curtain.

The final emotionally fraught scenes were particularly effective and well-paced by director Brian Leveson, who did well to ensure his actors did not rush the performance.

The Company of Ten is famed for its determination to tackle difficult plays, but Oleanna is surely one of the toughest works for an amateur dramatic group to attempt.

It was performed with style in St Albans and no doubt prompted much debate among audience members, which was very much David Mamet's intention when he wrote it.

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