Tag Archives: Blue Elephant Theatre

Easy

Easy

★★★

Blue Elephant Theatre

Easy

Easy

Blue Elephant Theatre

Reviewed – 14th November 2019

★★★

 

“an important play that intuitively understands the struggles of being a teenager in a toxic, image-focused society”

 

Alice is sixteen and eagerly waiting for something exciting to happen to her. Something that involves Fit Jamie from maths; something that proves she isn’t being left behind. But when something does happen, it is neither as exciting, nor as good, as she hoped it would be. It is something difficult. Something with consequences.

Amy Blakelock’s examination of social media, sex and teenage anxiety has all the elements of a good story: a likeable protagonist, a compelling narrative, and a shocking twist. Blakelock tells this story using an authentic teenage voice. Aspects sound a little artificial, but are mostly pertinent and always entertaining. The early parts of her script are full of faux maturity, sprinkled with clichés about how GCSEs can’t be all that – ‘Dad only got one O Level, and that was in woodwork’ – and the definitive list of what men (read: teenage boys) want. Blakelock effectively deepens these themes as the story grows darker, forcing the audience to reflect on the damage that such highly promoted ideals can do.

Robyn Wilson is endearing as Alice, full of energy and openness that makes her easy to connect with. Her delivery is subtly humorous in its naïveté, but still ripples with emotional honesty. The highlight of Wilson’s performance is her portrayal of Alice’s response to the event, in which these ripples become torrents that chill the observer.

Another aspect that deserves praise is Verity Johnson’s set, which acts as a clever metaphor for the themes of openness and shame. Four white platforms and a set of lockers become hiding places for painful aspects of the past that lie in wait until Alice is ready to reclaim them.

The main issue is the pace of the show: whilst it creates a character arc and a satisfying conclusion, this comes at the expense of close examination. There are several aspects of this story that I feel could have been expanded on. It would have been interesting, for example, to see the consequences faced not only by Alice, but by the perpetrators. Even this moment in Alice’s story feels a little vague, as her interactions with teachers, counsellors and the police pass us by in quick succession. I think it would have been beneficial to interrogate how schools deal with events like this, and whether or not the outcome really reflects the seriousness of the crime. It would also have explained Alice’s new found wisdom, which Wilson beautifully exhibits in the final scene.

Despite its flaws, Easy is an important play that intuitively understands the struggles of being a teenager in a toxic, image-focused society. Whilst it may seem to be a play for teenage girls about teenage girls, it is key that this kind of story reaches everyone, so that we can, as a whole, understand the implications of this toxicity on young people today.

 

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

Photography by Will Alder

 


Easy

Blue Elephant Theatre until 23rd November

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:
Sisyphus Distressing | ★★★★ | March 2018
Boxman | ★★★★ | July 2018
Alice: The Lost Chapter | ★★★★★ | October 2018
My Brother’s Drug | ★★★ | October 2018
Bost Uni Plues | ★★★★ | November 2018
Canary | ★★★½ | November 2018
Nofilter | ★★★ | November 2018

 

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#nofilter

nofilter
★★★

Blue Elephant Theatre

#nofilter

#nofilter

Blue Elephant Theatre

Reviewed – 21st November 2018

★★★

“Although immensely entertaining to watch, it proves the darker elements to social media”

 

Swipe left. Tweet. Post. Comment. Like. Swipe right. Ping! A notification. Crying face emoji. What once would have sounded like alien jargon has now become the vocabulary of our modern world. Particularly for the Millennial generation. More and more of the Millennial’s time is being spent online or documenting their lives to look perfect to the outside world. ELLA&CO. latch onto this, creating a movement piece that unpacks some of the bizarre behaviours social media brings out, as well as exploring how the pressures of perfectionism is affecting our mental health. Highly relevant and eye-opening, #NOFILTER lays bear our online personas to assess and examine.

Scenes come and go, leaving the brain in a buzzing frenzy, due to the rate in which new information and pictures are thrown at us. ELLA&CO. cleverly depicts the instant, ‘I want it now’, restless lifestyles social media brings out in us. Even a meaningful moment with the death of a loved one is turned into a post, hoping for likes. A standout scene is when a peaceful yoga session becomes a fight for the best hashtag about the class. Although immensely entertaining to watch, it proves the darker elements to social media – how anything we do, even for leisure or down time, becomes competitive. Striving to be accepted by our peers.

The side effects of the virtual world are touched upon but could certainly be used more effectively. It is welcoming that ELLA&CO. aren’t heavy handed in pointing the finger, saying, ‘this is bad’ or ‘this will happen if you use social media too much’, they gently offer a mirror up to the world we live in and let us, the audience, see in live performance the often ludicrous nature of the social media beast. They allow us to come to our own conclusions and question our online actions. However, with all this being said, some more obvious indicators to the the potential anxiety/psychological issues caused by social media could be helpful. Especially as the company are looking at taking the show into schools.

With just a simple empty black box stage, the four female cast members of ELLA&CO. rely on intense sound and lighting sequences, as well as themselves and their movements, to bring the performance space to hyperactive life.

It cannot be denied that #NOFILTER is an entertaining and on point representation of the millennial lifestyle, but still has a subtle, deeper message that lies underneath. #Nailedit

 

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

 


#nofilter

Blue Elephant Theatre

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:
Sisyphus Distressing | ★★★★ | March 2018
Boxman | ★★★★ | July 2018
Alice: The Lost Chapter | ★★★★★ | October 2018
My Brother’s Drug | ★★★ | October 2018
Bost Uni Plues | ★★★★ | November 2018
Canary | ★★★½ | November 2018

 

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