Review: PoleFactor @ The Vaults

PoleFactor

The Vaults, February 4, 2014

As I was writing, I was interrupted by my Course Tutor for ‘Reviewing Performance’ who said: “Turn your review into a Haiku”
Hence:

Shit Pop-cult dance show

Stalker Boyfriend beats main girl

Acid Attack. End.

There it is. Your £13.50 would be better spent on a nice bottle of wine. 

Reviews: Body of an American @ The Gate Theatre

Body of an American

The Gate Theatre, February 1, 2014

            “Snow and Sand” From Somalia to Minnesota, LA to the far north of Canada, the chill in the air reaches the heart as two men disclose and debate their haunting pasts. The title, ‘Body of an American’ comes from a graphic image from war-torn Somalia in 1993 by Paul Watson, a Canadian war photographer. This image of a killed and mutilated American Soldier haunted Paul Watson, while other images of his inspired young playwright, Dan O’Brien. Body of an American tells the story not only of Paul Watson, but the relationship between him and Dan and their exploration of their separate personal hauntings.

            Upon entering The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill, every member of the audience must cover their shoes with a sort of plastic ‘booty’ as the stage is heavily covered in artificial snow. There is a cold, closed in atmosphere to the space, with no set except for two plastic chairs and projection screens on either end of the long stadium-style seating. On these screens, we learn that everything we see and hear has come directly from the mouths of Dan O’Brien and Paul Watson and their conversations with others.

            As a photographer, Paul’s photographs tell a large portion of his story, while memoir-style dialogue by and about Paul fills in the rest. War to war, we follow Paul on his journey, occasionally getting snippets as Dan and Paul start to email back and forth. The images shown are graphic while the stories that accompany them are equally horrific, but William Gaminara delivers them with such simple candor that they almost bypass the brain, touching the heart directly. The small space of The Gate demands truth, and Gaminara delivers, whether being shot at in Somalia or drinking in the vast winter wasteland of the far north in Canada – what I saw before me was simple reality.

            Matching him completely, Damien Molony is shockingly versatile as he plays not only the playwright, Dan O’Brien, but also a Somolian Translator and psychologist just to name a few. I had trouble believing I was watching Molony and not the actual Dan before me, as every word that came from his mouth seemed easy, truthful and experienced. As far as I was concerned this man had gone to Princeton, was disowned by his family and spent a large portion of his life pursuing the man who’s photos touched him so thoroughly.

            In a non-stop, interval-free ninety minutes, Body of an American dissects two men who’s lives have been dictated by moments from their past. We as the audience join these two men through the journey of their lives and their relationship, with the truth shining through the photography and dialogue – this play bypasses the brain and hits the heart straightaway.

Reviews: What the Women Did @ Southwark Playhouse

What The Women Did

Southwark Playhouse, January 24, 2014

            If I had to look for a common thread of themes for the ’13/’14 season at Southwark Playhouse, I would be hard-pressed not to say ‘double-casting’. What the Women Did is a triple bill of three short plays set during the first World War, Luck of War, Handmaidens of Death and The Old Lady Shows Her Medals, all focusing on the experiences of the women who were left behind in England.

            Each of three plays featured a different generation of women during 1915 up until 1918 after the war. Luck of War gave insight into the confusion that followed when soldiers went missing and their wives were left to believe the worst. The second play of the night, Handmaidens of Death, seemed almost a cautionary tale of bitter young women who never had a ‘boy’ during the war to be careful what they wished for. Finally, the evening closed with a focus on mothers’ who’s sons were fighting in the war as The Old Lady Shows Her Medals told the unorthodox tale of a not-quite mother and son relationship and the ownership of war that comes from sacrificing a loved one.  

            Because of the nature of putting on three different plays, and the small size of companies today, double-casting actors was necessary for this project. One actor who appeared in each piece and as the male lead in two was Simon Darwen. Impressive in his transition from a bitter and injured English soldier to a rough young Scottish man of The Black Watch, from footless to kilted, with two completely different accents, Darwen was able to deliver completely separate characters for these two very different pieces. Also impressive in their portrayal of two completely separate characters was Mia Austen, playing a young ‘munitions girl’ in Handmaidens of Death and then switching drastically into a hilariously pompous almost elderly mother of a soldier in final show of the night. With a simple change in costume, voice and physicality, Austen somehow aged herself about forty years during the fifteen-minute interval.

            With three plays taking place in the span of just over two hours, an audience might expect a very simple set with minimal props and changes, but Set Designer Alex Marker was more ambitious than that. What at first appeared a simple box set of the inside a home, changed quickly to the outside of a tea and lemonade café for the second piece. The set again transformed before the audiences’ eyes to the interior of a London Apartment similar to but with noticeable differences from the first interior at the beginning of the third piece. By creating three noticeably different sets, Marker gave the audience a clear distinction from piece to piece, so that even if an audience member had not received a programme, they would have still understood the transition to a completely different work. 
            This year marks the centenary of the Great War, and thus this play was supported by Arts Council England as well a number of other Feminist and Charitable Foundations. Often times when we remember back to that time, our thoughts are with the soldiers who fell, but we often forget the women they left behind. What the Women Did is a poignant and heartfelt look at the lives of the women working and waiting at the home front. Each play originally premiered between 1917 and 1918 and the writing is not a style most modern audiences are accustomed to, but the dedication of the company gives clarity, truth and a voice to a time that should never be forgotten.

Reviews: Much Ado Abouth Nothing @ Park Theatre

Much Ado About Nothing,

my review published in The London Student from December 6, 2013

http://london-student.net/theatre/12/17/much-ado-nothing/

Reviews: The Last March @ Southwark Playhouse

The Last March

Southwark Playhouse, December 14, 2013

            One thing I took away from last night’s production of The Last March was that Sweden and Norway are two very different places and not to be confused. In one hour, three actors playing 10+ roles between them tell the tale of Captain Scott’s failed attempt to reach the South Pole before anyone else.

            With a very simple set, consisting of a white sheet, props hanging from hooks on strings and three trunks, there is a definite sense of simplicity before the lights go down on the house. That simplicity perfectly compliments the nature of the show. A simple set, with simple costumes and versatile actors kept the focus on the story and darling comedic moments that come from a fully committed company.

            With such simplicity in the technical aspects of this show, we were able to really focus on the three fine actors before us. There was Samuel Dent as the reckless Captain Scott, Sam Gibbs as almost every single crewmember in the expedition and then Pernilla Holland as Captain’s Scott’s Norwegian rival and Anonymous Crew Member #1 and others. Dent’s voice was crisp and clear with a perfect air of supreme confidence and a touch of endearing arrogance. While the very entertaining and very versatile Gibbs juggled at least seven, possible more characters. Thanks to a variety of hats and a few pocketed props, along with a great variety in vocal character and physical mannerisms, Gibbs kept his characters all very different and separate so that we were never confused about which character was in front of us. Add Holland’s mastery of the Norwegian portions of the script and great contribution to the more snowy aspects of the play – and these three created a fantastic ensemble all working in harmony with one another.

            There are specific moments that I would like to mention, primarily my heartfelt condolences to Gibbs who endured a great deal of beatings at the hand of Dent. Captain Scott didn’t always pay particularly good attention to the extremities of his crew… Holland also gave us a wonderful rendition of an excerpt from Ibsen’s A Doll’s House in the original Norwegian, as well as a lovely bit from A-ha’s hit song, “Take On Me.” I was also very impressed with the hospitality of the production when Captain Scott offered and Holland, as Anonymous Crew Member #1, passed out biscuits to the audience to celebrate Christmas.
            It was a darling show and only an hour straight through without an interval. It goes by quickly, and I found myself laughing for a good 80% of the show, which was actually less than the rest of the audience (I’m a harsh critic). With all the snow involved, you’ll find yourself exiting the house cheerful and glad you live in England where we still have 13 degrees Celsius weather in December. It’s on until early January, so if you are in town and have an hour to spare – I recommend a trip to Southwark Playhouse for some laughter and perhaps a biscuit if you’re lucky!

Reviews: In The Next Room @ St. James Theatre

My review is on a different website, so here's the link for you all:

http://london-student.net/theatre/12/06/next-room/

Yeah. I'm official now :)

Reviews: Our Ajax @ Southwark Playhouse

Our Ajax

Southwark Playhouse, November 29, 2013

            A three-sided stage filled with sand, with a sand-colored plain muslin backdrop and barbed-wire along the walls greats audiences as they walk into Southwark Playhouse’s new adaptation and translation of Sophocles’ Tragedy of Ajax. In the original Greek Tragedy, Ajax has spent most of the Trojan war in competition with Odysseus, and when Odysseus is promoted and recognized above him, he goes made with rage and attempts to kill all the Generals of the Greek Army, including Odysseus. Athena, Protector of Odysseus, plays with Ajax’s mind, causing him to confuse sheep with men and he instead massacres and a herd of poor sheep. Early on in Sophocles’ play, Ajax is killed and then his men spend the rest of the play fighting with Menelaus and Agamemnon for the right to bury their commander. Southwark Playhouse decided to do things a little different in their adaption.

            Our Ajax is set in Afghanistan, during a time when English and American soldiers are working together, based on the uniforms and iPhones, and dialogue, we can assumed that it is set in a fictional world where a war is still raging for the UK in the middle east. Like in the Original Greek Tragedy, Athena plays with the mind of Ajax, but instead of being referred to as Athena, she is just called ‘God’ by the soldiers, a modern way of maintaining the idea of ‘God-control’ while simultaneously straying from the now outdated polytheistic Ancient Greek Religion. Ajax storms in at the top of the play with two bloody sheep’s carcasses, believing that he has taken his revenge and killed Odysseus. Through the play, he and rages and transgresses back into sanity, reassuring his wife and soldiers that he will put everything to right. But once he is alone, Ajax ‘makes everything right’ by ending his life. The last quarter of the play consists of English soldiers and an American General arguing over whether or not to send the body back with honors or to leave it because of his crimes.

            Lasting only 100 minutes, Southwark Playhouse’s production of Our Ajax does not fit the bill of a traditional Greek Tragedy as one might expect. This is actually one of the best qualities of this

adaptation, Timberlake Wertenbaker wrote a fantastic script that strays just enough to fit perfectly into our modern era. Male and female soldiers, cell phones and video, a wonderful scene of celebration with the three main soldiers dancing to ‘Ceiling Can’t Hold Us’. This show was fit so well into our lives, I daresay most of the audience forgot they were watching a play originally written and performed thousands of years ago.

            It’s not one of my favorite plays, the extreme blood thirst of Ajax, not just in this production but in the script, is more than a little disturbing for my taste. This cast did well in their roles, committed and entrenched, I enjoyed their performances – especially the three soldiers who added a nice touch of comedy to this heavy plot. Timberlake Wertenbaker did a wonderful job of cutting out the outdated material, updating the dialogue and subject matter and even drawing out more dramatic elements while truncating the less relevant moments. As far as my personal experience with this play, this is the best translation that I’ve come into contact with yet. If you’ve already read a translation of the original, I would next take a look at this script for a fantastic example of modern adaptation.