Tag Archives: Martha Watson Allpress

“I Know I Know I Know” at the Southwark Playhouse

Confidently written and well performed, Flora Wilson Brown’s new play is an intelligent and sensitive examination of sexual abuse. This ambitious work is worth checking out, despite not being an easy play for two reasons.

First, the subject matter is tough. We hear the story of a young woman who was groomed by a pop star, only later revealing the truth now that he is famous. Meanwhile, the musician is travelling to a wedding with an old friend, so the audience sees him in a very different light. It’s a neat way of challenging preconceptions, further aided by surprising humour on Wilson Brown’s part.

With both extended scenes delivered at the same time, I Know I Know I Know is dense viewing that makes demands on the audience. But the results are worth it. The dialogue overlaps in a marvellous fashion. Aided by Harry Tennison’s direction, there are explosive connections from the simplest words. As the moods of the three characters in the piece change, the script has a tense, flowing energy.

I Know I Know I Know isn’t perfect. Victoria Maytom’s set is an unhappy affair that doesn’t help the audience work out what’s going on and seems like an obstacle course for the performers. Anna Short’s sound design is effective but lacks the subtlety of the script. The lighting, from Ryan Day, is more appropriate – drawing the audience in and out of the action with an ebb and flow that fits the piece.

I know I know I know credit Ellie Kurttz
Ethan Moorhouse and Martha Watson Allpress

Wilson Brown’s well-written roles produce great performances. Well done to Martha Watson Allpress and Ethan Moorhouse, who play friends from university whose lives have become very different. They both have their problems. Watson Allpress brings a febrile energy to her role, while Moorhouse reveals his rock star character’s demons gradually. The key is that both are likeable – she has a wit to warm to, and he brings charm appropriate to the character’s success.

It is the victim, Alice, who is the focus of the show, and this proves a triumph for Wilson Brown and performer Hannah Khalique-Brown. There’s a lot of detail about Alice’s trauma; how the affair started and developed as well as how it has affected her. But this is written and delivered with a balanced approach that avoids sensationalism. Alice is a character whose honesty we never doubt (it must have been tempting to introduce scepticism for the sake of drama?). That Alice is still in love with the man who had been so terrible to her is haunting.

Wilson Brown has to skim around some of the interesting points that make her characters well rounded. And the play’s resolution, while emotional, feels truncated. But the piece is weighty and easily intense enough to impress. The age gap between the characters isn’t as great as they themselves seem to think, and that we aren’t dealing with some seedy Saville type is an important point. The play succeeds in bringing fresh insight to an important topic.

Until 16 April 2022

www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Photos by Ellie Kurttz

“Isolated But Open” from Papatango

Artistic director George Turvey’s quest to find new talent hasn’t stopped during the Covid-19 lockdown. Quick to respond to theatre closures, ten new monologues (plus two from award-winning playwrights) have been filmed by actors working in isolation. Without trying to “rate” this dozen – and apologies to those missed out – the standard is high and there is something for all to enjoy.

Several of the monologues address our current conditions. Arguably Benedict Lombe’s piece, rise from the wreckage, highlights opportunities and problems. The character’s challenge to aim for “something better” after lockdown is commendable. And the technique of dealing with the “one-way conversation” the monologue format has to confront is good – it’s a message to a future self. But the script is a touch self-conscious and the language full of slogans.

Emma Pritchard’s Pythagoras benefits from more imagination. Its subject is a young girl who plans to rescue a horse “as the world is ending”. Touching on teenage lives put on hold by the virus, there’s a quirky sense of humour and an excellent performance from Lucy Bromilow, who even seems to blush on cue. Balcony Bonding by Rachel De-Lahay is perhaps the strongest written: a Facebook Live chat between neighbours who don’t know each other, led by an endearing character in a strong performance from Susan Wokoma (complete with infectious laugh), it is simple but effective.

It’s a personal preference, but I enjoyed the escapism of monologues that had nothing to do with the coronavirus more. William Drew’s Hungry Like has a neat, intriguing premise with a surreal touch, and Angus Harrison’s Guts makes the induction of a newly recruited fishmonger in a supermarket far more interesting than it sounds!

Three plays that touch on grief were my highlights. Martha Watson Allpress’ Wild Swim has a simple premise about a mother and daughter that proved effective: painful but positive, impressively filmed (although the music proved distracting) and expertly performed by Lizzy Watts. Hips by Alex Riddle isn’t quite as focused, but the idea of a father and son who are professional impersonators could easily be developed and Josef Davies’ performance is great. Another short leaving you wishing it was longer comes from Tafline Steen, who manages to quote “existential terror” without coming across as pretentious (thanks to Andrea Hall’s performance, maybe) and who mixes feeling with philosophy in a way I’d like to see more of.

The degree to which these monologues should stand fully formed or show potential to grow is only one starting point for debate that the selection provokes. All involved should be proud of this inspiring project – and to have been included from an amazing 2,063 submissions. That is a lot of talent for Papatango to continue to try and foster, which brings us, deservedly, to the donation button!

www.papatango.co.uk/isolated-but-open