Addison Waite Archives - Page 17 of 26

★★★

“full of exceptional elements and packed with potential”

Sullivan immediately notices Madeleine is out of place at a lesbian speed-dating event: obviously straight. When Sullivan calls her on it, Madeleine admits she’s only trying to throw off a guy who’s been following her. Intrigued, Sullivan listens as Madeleine explains she has no idea who he is, just that he follows her everywhere and leaves her love poems, signing his name ‘Swann’. Sullivan tells Madeleine she’s a former private investigator, and offers to take her case.

Without That Certain Thing, written by Rory Platt and directed by Chloe Christian is the debut play from Thank You Dark Theatre Company. The narration given by Sullivan (Phoebe Naughton) is a delightful parody of a film noir detective story. Platt’s prose plays with the familiar language of murder mysteries, and Naughton pulls it off with an adept sense of the rhythm and comedy. Platt savours words as passionately as the poetry-obsessed Swann. There’s some truly brilliant writing, so it’s a shame the script feels like a rough draft. The story needs clarifying and sharpening. The scenes need editing. What is clever and fresh too frequently gets bogged down by excess.

The premise itself is murky, and doesn’t really make sense. If you’re being stalked, you don’t pay someone £80 per day to chat with the guy. Sullivan brushes off the police by telling Madeleine the best she can hope for is a six-month sentence or a fine. The obvious objective of a restraining order is never mentioned. So instead Sullivan too spends the days talking to Swann to discover him as a person. She has no clear purpose or strategy. Because of this, the play feels adrift, the scenes meandering. We’re looking for Sullivan to be trying to solve the case. A twist at the end explains why she isn’t, but it doesn’t save the majority of the play from seeming aimless, which makes it feel very long. Even the most exquisite writing won’t save a story that doesn’t move.

But the direction and design are excellent. White tape squares on the stage subtly suggest different locations while also being reminiscent of chalk outlines. The movement is impressive – the performers effortlessly swirl from scene to scene: a flat, a street, the tube, an office, a park, etc. Christian makes an effective choice to keep Swann (Tom Macqueen) on stage throughout, lurking in shadows, but occasionally stepping in to hand someone a prop (an inspired bit of humour that works well). Naughton is in full command of her role, and is a pleasure to watch. Macqueen is outstanding as the disturbed and delusional Swann. Caitlin McEwan (Madeleine) is the blank canvas her character is meant to be.

Without That Certain Thing is full of exceptional elements and packed with potential. A sharp outside eye to edit and some further development could make it a first-rate show.

Reviewed by Addison Waite

Narcissist in the Mirror

The Vaults

Reviewed – 27th February 2019

★★★★

“a hurricane of emotions that rages, unflagging, for the full hour”

Narcissus is an aspiring, vibrant young actress. She graduated from one of the top drama schools in the country, but finds herself floundering in the real world. Auditions are slow to come in and the rejections pile up. Meanwhile, millennial life is cold and isolating: a circus of meaningless Tinder dates and shallow social media connections. All of Narcissus’ hopes and ambitions, fears and anger, memories and dreams come flooding out to an imagined therapist in her dressing room.

Written and performed by Rosie Fleeshman, Narcissist in the Mirror is her debut one-woman show. It’s a piece that incorporates spoken word and poetry performance. As Narcissus discusses her life and struggles, lighting cues signal shifts into poems, which Fleeshman has woven into the narrative. They confront subjects such as the competitive and deceptive nature of social media, anxiety and depression, the standards for being a ‘good feminist’, the difficulty of forming real friendships beyond the façade of connection social media offers, and the importance of grammar now that dating is often more than fifty percent messaging. It’s incisive, hard-hitting commentary on the modern world. You will relate or you will sympathise. Fleeshman’s brilliant and vulnerable character doesn’t give you other options.

It’s an impressive performance. Fleeshman is wild and manic as the narcissistic actress, but also devastatingly open, tears filling her eyes as she displays her metaphorical scars for our judgment. She’s a hurricane of emotions that rages, unflagging, for the full hour. She’s captivating; it’s impossible to look away. The strength of her voice, matching the force of her character, makes Fleeshman one of the first performers I’ve seen at The Vaults to successfully compete with the trains going by overhead.

Fleeshman’s writing is as accomplished as her acting. Vivid, electric language conveys razor-sharp insights. She tells stories, addressing the audience. She does impressions of her mother and friends. She confesses to a psychologist. She slides in and out of poetry. The rhythm of her rhymes is powerful. She skilfully mines modern insecurities, and brings up exquisite contradictions: Can you be a feminist if your waist-size is important to you? What do you do when socialising is exhausting, but you hate being alone? How can we be so connected and feel so isolated at the same time?

There are places where the self-analysis becomes a bit excessive. And the ending is slightly awkward with Fleeshman bypassing good moments for the final blackout several times to add a bit more. But overall, it’s a strong, piercingly relevant piece. As a performer and writer, Fleeshman is a force to be reckoned with.

Tag Archives: Addison Waite

Without That Certain Thing
★★★

VAULT Festival

Network Theatre

Reviewed – 27th February 2019

★★★

“full of exceptional elements and packed with potential”

Without That Certain Thing is full of exceptional elements and packed with potential. A sharp outside eye to edit and some further development could make it a first-rate show.

Reviewed by Addison Waite

Without That Certain Thing

Part of VAULT Festival 2019

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

Narcissist in the Mirror
★★★★

VAULT Festival

The Vaults

Reviewed – 27th February 2019

★★★★

“a hurricane of emotions that rages, unflagging, for the full hour”

Reviewed by Addison Waite

Photography courtesy Nothing to Declare Productions

Narcissist in the Mirror

Part of VAULT Festival 2019

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com