2019

“The Shy Manifesto” at the Greenwich Theatre

This wonderful monologue from Michael Ross is on a national tour. Let’s hope the play is showing near you as attendance is thoroughly recommended. It’s part-presentation, akin to a school debate, and also a tender story about youth that’s full of topical relevance. The trials – and joys – of being shy become moving, thought-provoking and funny in a brilliant script.

The production is a bitter-sweet triumph because of its author’s sudden death from cancer this year. While the show is hugely enjoyable, it’s hard not to regret future works we are now deprived of. That Ross missed seeing the show performed is cruel. That those involved have done such a good job is of some consolation.

With The Shy Manifesto’s hero, Callum, Ross has written a fine creation who works well theatrically and makes a great role for Theo Ancient. It’s impossible not to warm to this keen-to-quote teen, who Ancient makes such a charming, flawed figure. Engendering complicity with the audience from the start, Callum’s world view is engrossing, his insecurities and his fate at an end-of-term party affectingly emotional. Ancient moves from cowed moments to bold exuberance, as director Cat Robey paces the show expertly. Robey does particularly well in energising the script with complementary musical accompaniment and lighting. These skills combine to take us into Callum’s Bournemouth bedroom world completely, to make his worries our own and likewise his hopes for the future, be they to stay true to himself or to live around the corner from the British Museum.

Ross hasn’t just penned an unusually good teen drama. His writing reveals facts sometimes lost on our hero, which creates a delicious subtext for the audience. His crush on new boy Gilbert is just one example. It’s fascinating to explore the theme of ‘shycons’ (brilliant term) who are idolised by the introverted. And while evoking a young voice so expertly, there’s a spirit of individualism that should give pause whatever your age. Callum’s questions may be raised in a naïve fashion – he’s 17, after all – but that doesn’t make them less important. Ross uses a young narrator to point out what should be obvious, sometimes unacceptable, to all; and to challenge, frequently in a surprising fashion, some easily accepted assumptions.

Alongside this is a great comedy. Callum’s intellectual pretentions, including his contagious love of words, remind us not to take him too seriously, and it’s a talent to make the vocabulary hilarious all by itself. And the cast of extras we meet – each performed with the help of a single prop (with one notable exception) and seen only through Callum’s eyes – are all worth a joke or three. Ross was an accomplished craftsman and a distinctive voice, his writing full of compassion, intelligence and humour. The Shy Manifesto proclaims these qualities loudly.

On tour until 4 March 2019

www.theshymanifesto.com

Photo by Anthony Hollis

2019

“Cost of Living” at the Hampstead Theatre

Edward Hall’s venue has a strong reputation for bringing American plays to our shore. Taking directorial charge of this one is clever move, as is getting Martyna Majok’s play over here so quickly – it only won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama last year – because the piece hits the jackpot. It’s the kind of play you really want to win big.

As a story focusing on people with disabilities, Cost of Living answers an urgent need for diversity and representation on the stage. Nobody should knock that, but Hall also knows a fundamentally strong play when he sees one. Following John and Ani, who both need constant care, it is true that some issues raised about the health system and class are more relevant to an American audience… one hopes. But this is a play so full of life, of pain and of love, that it is impossible not to get caught up in.

Jack Hunter and Emily Barber

First taking John, a wealthy grad student, performed superbly by Jack Hunter, and his carer Jess, their scenes are full of wit and tension with the non-disabled Jess as the focus. Her poverty and personality are conveyed with great skill by Emily Barber, who clearly appreciates how Majok is guiding the audience.

An even more complex relationship is that between Eddie (Adrian Lester) and his ex-wife Ani, who was injured in a car crash. The story of her death prologues the play, with a moving meditation on grief that could stand alone as a brilliant monologue. The balance between “glum” events and the play’s humour shows Majok’s skills further. The dialogue throughout is stunning in its naturalism. For a conclusion, both Lester and Barber excel again as the hope that the play never ceases to include is allowed as a final note.

The central scene, which I’d put money on as being the germ of the piece, is something else. Ani (played marvellously by Katy Sullivan) is being bathed by Eddie. Starting with an intense intimacy, this is a sex scene the likes of which you’ve probably never witnessed before on stage. The tenderness is moving, the atmosphere electric and the insight profound. To embody her theme that the smallest mistakes can change – and end – lives, Majok then produces a shocker. Truly, I’ve never heard such gasps from an audience. An unforgettable moment of theatre is what gets you awards, and it makes Cost of Living a priceless play.

Until 9 March 2019

www.hampsteadtheatre.com

Photo by Manuel Harlan

2019

“Cuzco” at Theatre 503

Even in a city as cosmopolitan as London, the chance to see contemporary European plays doesn’t come along often enough. This work, from Víctor Sánchez Rodríguez, went down well in Spain. Although it is a hard play to warm to, it is intriguing, has a distinctive voice and the production is first class.

The scenario – a couple taking a trip to Peru to save their relationship – is discordantly low stakes, given how much mileage Rodríguez hopes to get out of it. As both the characters become increasingly odd, observations on how “tourism perverts everything”, plenty of colonial guilt and a dash of both Marx and mythology become far-fetched and forced… yet, always interesting.

As for the couple, who (as usual for plays nowadays) are unnamed, they seem mismatched from the start. While the woman hates travel, the holiday changes her the most. She is smart and interesting and Dilek Rose gives a strong performance in the part; although how funny the play should be seems to be an unresolved issue. Her boyfriend is all passive aggression and place names. While Gareth Kieran Jones does well when emotion is called for, and saves a final uncharacteristic tirade that comes too close to ridiculous, his character is far too dull for her.

Criticism of William Gregory’s translation is difficult without a knowledge of the source, but it’s clear Rodríguez writing is heavy handed. A good deal of speech is bizarrely grandiose. And a lot of clichés slip in towards the end that make for uncomfortable listening. Further credit to the performers for making some deadened lines really live. After all, worrying about the “bourgeoisie self-contemplation of our drama” doesn’t really trip off the tongue.

Despite reservations, Cuzco is a trip worth taking. It’s a different view on plenty of issues that preoccupy British playwrights; there’s a good take on privilege for a start. And superb work from director Kate O’Connor, injecting a carefully controlled momentum, makes the play convincing throughout. Best of all is the sound design from Max Pappenheim, which supports the play brilliantly, providing an hallucinatory tone that fits the mention of a “suffocated howl” the characters experience to perfection.

Until 16 February 2019

www.theatre503.com

Photo by Holly Lucas

2019

“Thomas” at the Vault Festival

There are laudable aims and a strong idea behind Snapper Theatre’s new production – together they make for a good start. Written by Robbie Curran, who also takes the title role, the play’s hero has Asperger’s and the piece does well to represent his experience and challenge preconceptions. The clever addition is to parallel his youth with that of his cousin, David, played by Ben Lydon, and include the latter’s mental health in the story. Tackling prejudice about Asperger’s is sometimes crudely forceful and the second plot is underworked, but this is strong debut play with plenty of promise for development.

Problems arise with flashbacks to the characters’ childhoods. It’s not just that there are too many of these, but that they are too short. And it’s too easy to imagine lines whittled away to bring the running time to just under an hour. The direction from Lucy Foster could provide more support, while Grace Cronin’s movement work feels out of place. The play ends up disjointed and at times confusing.

The desire to form a connection between the audience and Thomas, to show he is ‘normal’, might excuse how predictable many of the scenes are. But the performances also end up stilted and contain few surprises. The boys’ humour doesn’t develop as they grow into men. This might be depressingly accurate but doesn’t help establish their ages from scene to scene. There are no reservations, however, for the third cast member, Amanda Shodeko who does a great job with several smaller roles: supremely comfortable on stage and eminently watchable, it’s always a thrill to see a performer in a small show who you are sure will go far.

Ben Lydon and Amanda Shodeko

Lydon is strongest as the version of David who is struggling at university. The growing sense that he no longer has to look after his friend is just one factor that leaves Thomas feeling lost. There’s mention of a sick father, troubles with course and career, but none of this is explored. Lydon is left to save what is really half the show, which he works hard to do.

Frustratingly, the structure is set up and sound, with a conclusion at a childhood home that’s a nice reflection of an earlier incident. It’s a shame more time isn’t allowed to bring the show to a satisfying finish.

Until 27 January 2019

www.vaultfestival.com

Photos by Tyrone Lewis

2019

“Blue Departed” at the Vault Festival

The smell of weed and spray paint and a walk down Leake Street mean it must be time for this year’s always-bigger-than-ever arts extravaganza under Waterloo Station. Yesterday was opening night no less for the start of eight weeks of events. With more than 400 shows to come, any single offering couldn’t be representative of the fare on offer, but the Anima Theatre Company’s show embodies my experience of previous years, both for good and ill. The Vault Festival is a great place for exciting new writing that isn’t afraid of taking risks that don’t always pay off.

There are plenty of ideas behind Serafina Cusack’s take on Dante’s Inferno. And that’s impressive. The show asks us to imagine Dante as a heroin addict and his (dead) Beatrice haunting him. But if you don’t know that before you go in you’ll be pretty lost. It is a good idea, testament to the potential here, as we descend into a hell that might be grief or cold turkey. But there’s a sense of trying too hard to be relevant and, dare I say it, trying to shock. Does Beatrice, also an addict, really have to be pregnant?

That same sense of trying too hard fills the production. The direction from Henry C Krempels feels manic, which works some of the time, but the show needs slowing down. The energy involved may be admirable but is also a little exhausting. The sound design is intrusive, although that might have been an attempt to compensate for noise emanating from the show next door, which is a problem throughout the venue. Cusack’s script has its moments, and is certainly stylish, but suffers from too many nonsensical touches; there’s a reference to the smell of an artery that made me stumble – who knows what one of those smells like?

The three consciously odd characters are difficult company, if well performed. The get-out clause is that what we see is a drug-induced haze, and Cusack’s play on time and hallucinations is great stuff. Mark Conway takes the lead role and does well with bringing out the piece’s considerable wit – Cusack’s comedy is another strength. But the two other characters (‘her’ and ‘his brother’) are, respectively, unbelievable and thinly written. That said, Rebecca Layoo and Richard James Clarke offer strong support and should be proud of their performances.

Creating characters who come close to being merely devices – and using a concept in the place of a plot – isn’t to everyone’s taste. Both can make a piece strangely cold and hard to engage with. A firmer criticism is that this show isn’t clear about what it wants to do. Tell us about mourning? Or addiction? Both, presumably, but that proves too much for a short show and the insights here are limited. Blue Departed fails to convince, but the experiment is admirable and effort valiant.

Until 27 January 2019

www.vaultfestival.com

Photo by Lidia Crisafulli

2019

“Violet” at the Charing Cross Theatre

This intriguing musical, about a disfigured woman’s journey across America in the hope of being healed by a television evangelist, won best musical at the New York Drama Critics’ Circle awards with its premiere in 1997. It’s a simple morality tale complicated by adult themes and characters. This production, from director Shuntaro Fujita, does the show proud but cannot hide some odd flaws.

The eponymous heroine is an unlikely central figure, which is for the good. Kaisa Hammarlund gives a brilliant performance in the role, barely stepping off stage during the show and always sounding superb. The problem is that her no nonsense character, and flashbacks to her childhood (where Keiron Crook does well as her father), make her need for a pretty face seem disappointing. Could such a smart woman fall for the fake glamour of the movies? That she does just that makes watching her troubles an uncomfortable affair. While the challenging of themes of self-esteem and the pressure of small-town “superstitions” is admirable, it’s hard to get behind Violet.

Kieron Crook

Romances that develop during Violet’s travels have potential, but feel rushed. The attraction to a young solider, Montgomery, is contrasted with a more meaningful connection established with his African-American colleague, Flick. Again, the performances are strong, from Matthew Harvey and Jay Marsh, respectively. But this love triangle is too scalene; the right man too obviously right from the start. Despite Harvey’s efforts to introduce tension, Violet’s fling with him seems unbelievable. And, while Flick’s attraction could also have been developed further, especially the racism the relationship would suffer from, it is still overwhelming in terms of plot.

Shuntaro tries hard to gloss over shortcomings with a new configuration for the venue and a revolving stage that do wonders for the space. But, while Bryan Crawley’s work on the book, an adaptation of a short story by Doris Betts, is sturdy enough, his lyrics are functional rather than inspired. Which is an especial shame given the quality of the score from Jeanine Tesori. A mix of country, blues, rock and gospel, the music is always interesting. The sense of time and place are rooted and there’s plenty of invention. When the ensemble acts as a chorus the sound is fantastic and there are marvellous turns for Angelica Allen and Simbi Akande that could easily have been extended.

The aftermath of the encounter between Violet and the preacher she has come to see is a painful summation of Tesori’s musical themes. It’s brilliantly written, superbly performed by Hammarlund, and reveals how well grounded the show is. Violet’s mania at this point, a mix of faith and instability provides a final, albeit too brief, reward for the interesting work on show here.

Until 6 April 2019

www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk

Photos by Scott Rylander

2019

“Outlying Islands” at the King’s Head Theatre

Theatregoers should give thanks to Atticist Productions – and get a ticket, of course – for this new production of David Greig’s 2002 work, last seen in London at its Royal Court première. Carefully directed by Jessica Lazar, it delivers a quartet of fabulous performances. And what a play! Lyrically beautiful, intellectually stimulating and full of the unexpected, this is a long overdue revival.

It’s exciting not to know what’s coming next and makes avoiding spoilers important. Especially given a plot that seems so simple: two ornithologists studying on a remote island before World War II. Greig doesn’t make it clear how big a part the owner of the island and his niece will play – at first, they seem amusingly stereotyped (Ken Drury does a lovely job here). But, by wittily toying with expectations of a period piece, the play consistently surprises as events and characters develop with a magical touch and delightful richness.

Suffice to say that there’s plenty of sex and death in this Edenic location. Tom Machell gives a suitably magnetic performance as lead toff twitcher Robert. The character’s free thinking results in plenty of challenging statements. His colleague and chum John may play second fiddle – reminding us of decency and that a boat will be coming to collect them at some point – but Jack McMillan’s performance is first class. It’s a wonderful study of confused youth and contradictions. By no means least is Rose Wardlaw’s sensitive portrayal of Ellen, a woman who finds herself connected to life and the future in an unexpected manner.

Rose Wardlaw

Isolated from society and with work-altering body clocks, the play moves to examine love, time and limits. That emotions develop is seen by Robert as a scientific phenomenon, something to take notes on, while John reminds us how painful romance can be. Lazar allows the chilly observations and warm emotions they’re due, ensuring both of the text’s temperatures can be felt. Greig’s insights into time are philosophically invigorating, while the boundaries of convention, temporarily absent, lead artfully to yet more questions.

Take religion, Christianity vs Paganism, a theme Drury does so well to explicate. The theme gives an ethereal feel to the show, aided by strong sound and lighting design from Christopher Preece and David Doyle, respectively. Or the parodic forms of ritual we encounter, such as those surrounding feeding (there’s only one table on the island and let’s just say it’s used for more than one kind of communion). Compared with the birds being recorded, Outlying Islands asks how rooted in the animalistic we all are. Like a scientist studying nature, the same precise control allows Greig to examine men. An attempt at natural history in the form of theatre, it makes for fascinating viewing.

Until 2 February 2019

www.kingsheadtheatre.com

Photos by Clive Barda

2019

“Rosenbaum’s Rescue” at the Park Theatre

The fate of Denmark’s Jews during World War II is a starting point in A Bodin Saphir’s play. But it’s relatively recent investigations into events that become the focal point. And the debate, between a survivor and a historian – two men whose personal lives are intimately connected – makes this a play about family history as well. These three strands are worked with varying degrees of success to make a cautiously written debut play that’s for the most part impressive, but seldom inspired.

The history – of a mass evacuation that occurred with remarkably little loss of life – is summarised efficiently. It’s important as well as interesting and given immediacy by seeing its long-reaching effects on the lives of Abraham and Lars. Up next, revising what has become a pillar of Danish national identity has great potential as a story – it’s a smart insight, ripe for our times, that ‘post-truth’ is nothing new – but it ends up dramatically clunky. Lars, the academic casting suspicion on the “miracle” of a modern exodus, seems to be the world’s worst historian. Denying the possibility of interpretation, he’s eager to ignore detail in his search for the “whole truth”. The character is impossible to believe and the role leaves Neil McCaul as merely a mouthpiece for ideas.

David Bamber as Abraham has a happier time pursuing the drama of a man of faith pitted against facts. Trouble is, for all director Kate Fahy’s admirable efforts to keep the piece focused, this feels like another play, rather than a component of an argument already established. Bamber is convincing – even in a scene where Abraham becomes a surprising villain, as parallels are drawn with the issue of immigration today. Let’s hope we’d all agree about the dangers of a right-wing resurgence in Europe, but the topic is badly shoe-horned into this play.

Dorothea Myer-Bennett & Julia Swift

With the family drama we’re on surer ground. Again, there are tyro touches when it comes to drawing Lars’ daughter, Sara. She’s just your average former scientist turned performing arts reviewer and aspiring novelist (how’s that for fleshing out a character?). And she’s also that person you only meet in a play who instantly offers up a definition for a word they’ve just used. Nonetheless, Julia Swift does a superb job in the role, making you want to hear more from the character and see her generation’s perspective. And the play’s strongest feature is the relationship between Abraham and his wife, played to perfection by Dorothea Myer-Bennett. Providing some much-needed humour, the marriage anchors the play and confirms the fundamental promise of Bodin Saphir’s writing.

Until 9 February 2019

www.parktheatre.co.uk

Photos by Mark Douet

2019

“The War of the Worlds” at the New Diorama Theatre

Rhum & Clay’s clever new show isn’t based on the titular novel by HG Wells. And it only takes the famous 1938 broadcast by Orson Welles as a starting point. Instead, the show is a stellar theatrical adventure about fact and fiction. A parallel is drawn between the radio play that caused chaos by presenting itself as live reportage, and fake news in the present, exploring both with wit and intelligence.

This is a devised piece, written by Isley Lynn, but stressed as a collaboration, and a high percentage of the ideas work well. There may be a superfluous incidental character or two, maybe even a scene? But the show coalesces well and keeps an audience guessing. As the focus moves from a microphone to a radio and then a recorder for a podcast, interest increases. Throughout, Benjamin Grant’s sound design, which plays such a key role, is commendable.

All four cast members, including Rhum & Clay originators Matthew Wells and Julian Spooner, play to their strengths and impress. Everyone puts in a good turn as Orson Welles, performers of his show and terrified members of the public. But it’s the play’s female characters that stand out: Amalia Vitale and Mona Goodwin do a superb job in their central roles as Lawson and Meena, who encounter one another just before Donald Trump’s election as the latter makes a podcast about a family history that started on the night of that panic- inducing broadcast.

It’s the reactions to Welles’ show that interest this talented team. Reports of hysteria are well known – but are they an urban myth? And what are their contemporary parallels? Enter Trump. With our modern-day journalist travelling to America, and the small town Welles that based his broadcast around, the show gets really smart. It would be easy to identify with Meena, but care is taken to show she is too fond of clichés – Goodwin is excellent here – and she stoops to cheating to get her copy. It’s a brilliant move adding credibility, as Rhum & Clay play with alienating their audience a little! That we end up suspicious of everyone here is healthy. But, trust me, it’s no fake news to say that you should see this show.

Until 9 February 2019

www.newdiorama.com

Photo by Richard Davenport

2019

“In Lipstick” at the Pleasance Theatre

You might want some quiet time after Annie Jenkins’ new play. That it creates a need to pause for thought is the first recommendation for this high quality show. A modest story of two troubled women, whose relationship is disrupted when one starts an affair with a colleague, Jenkins aims for a fresh look at family and offers insight into safety, security and love.

The bizarre bond between housemates Cynthia and the older Maud is both disquieting and reassuring – a powerful observation on intense affection. The younger is an agoraphobic insomniac and the other a former victim of domestic abuse with an alcohol problem, so you’d expect the play to be grim. But the couple have moments of blissful abandon, with their “songs and stories” containing “glitter and sparkle”, as they perform Shirley Bassey songs and eat chicken nuggets. They’ve been happy in their isolated world. Yet as Maud begins her affair with Dennis, who we learn has his own demons, a sense of threat grows.

The trio of characters benefit from sterling depictions by the talented cast. Caroline Faber and James Doherty play the middle aged couple to perfection in their awkward courting scenes. Faber’s work alongside Cynthia is just as strong; a mix of maternal exasperation and tenderness with a touch of fear. As Cynthia, Alice Sykes gives a phenomenally committed performance establishing the complex vulnerability of the role from the start, always maintaining intrigue; the glimpse of her applying lipstick through her tears is tremendously powerful.

For all the praise that the performers deserve, the characters never quite convince. The dialogue feels contrived, not just the stories told but the obsession with facts that reflects a search for stability. There is a literary feel to the play that shows unquestionable promise on Jenkins part but is also studied. Situations are both banal and extraordinary so there’s a conflict between motivations that aren’t entirely credible yet a show that works overall. The biggest accolade should go to director Alice Hamilton whose work ensures the production’s success. Using a revolving stage and plenty of incidental music, the play is paced bravely showing confidence and giving the audience time to absorb. The atmosphere Hamilton creates perfectly complements the play. With a manic final scene the tempo escalates thereby increasing the shock of events and leaving the piece’s culminating cry for help as a forlorn moment of theatrical potency.

Until 27 January 2019

www.pleasance.co.uk

Photo by Ali Wright