Ali Wright Archives - Page 17 of 23 - thespyinthestalls.com

★★★

“whilst the execution isn’t quite as slick as it could be, Watts has done well in discovering a long-discarded play which speaks volumes to a modern audience”

Director Graham Watts’ mission is commendable: he is seeking out the works of women playwrights that have never seen the light of day; not lost works, but rather those plays that were never even found. And in ‘Garry’, written way back in 1954, he has discovered a story with plenty of meat for a twenty-first century audience.

Wilma (Phebe Alys), a doting newlywed, is so completely devoted to her husband Garry (Thomas Martin) that she fails to see past what he tells her, to who he truly is. This is due in large part to the fact that he doesn’t know either. Decades ahead of her time, Sophie Treadwell contemplates the psychological trauma caused by believing homosexuality to be “dirty”, and the potentially lethal repercussions of denying who you are and what you want. Peggy (Claire Bowman), Garry’s sister, adds another interesting component as a happy prostitute, considering her work as a means to sating her own appetite.

Unfortunately, whilst the content of the play has some interesting elements, it’s hard to suspend disbelief owing to the obvious immense concentration required by most of the cast to hold on to their American accents. Phebe Alys is an exception however, consistent in both her sweet southern cadence and her commitment to her character’s intense vulnerability. She lays it on a little thick in parts, but it suits the slightly over-dramatic style of the era.

The soundtrack (Stuart Bowditch) acts as more of a prop, consisting mostly of whatever radio channel the characters tune in to, that is until the closing scene. The lights come down to a hopeful piano sonata as Alys and Matthew Wellard (playing Dave Andrews, a journalist and interested party) look on dreamily over an imaginary horizon, tying everything up in to a neat little ending as though to say, everything’s going to be alright now. Not to give the game away too much, but I’m not sure that’s true… I mean, someone was murdered, and someone else was waving a gun around threatening to kill a stranger only a moment before.

But whilst the execution isn’t quite as slick as it could be, Watts has done well in discovering a long-discarded play which speaks volumes to a modern audience. Perhaps this is the beginning of a Sophie Treadwell revival; I look forward to seeing what other exciting works her peers didn’t appreciate.

Reviewed by Miriam Sallon

Photography by Ali Wright

Flinch

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 29th May 2019

★★★

“Despite its flaws, Flinch is a compelling piece of theatre and it is hard not to get invested in the young couple’s drama”

The comedy Flinch, directed by Rosalind Brody and written by Emma Hemingford, intimately explores the failing relationship between young couple Mark (Joe Reed) and Jessica (Emma Hemingford). Mark works as a trader in the City and Jessica is a struggling actress who has just moved to London to live with Mark after three years of dating. After Mark flinches away when a drunk man (Andrew Armitage) threatens Jessica with a ‘gun-shaped banana’ on their first night in their new flat, issues relating to emasculation, failure and the struggle for intimacy in their relationship are quickly exposed.

The play consists of domestic scenes between the young couple, all of which end in heated arguments. These scenes are separated by brief blackouts and harsh red lighting in which Reed, Hemingford and Armitage move in slow motion enacting several outcomes of Armitage’s fruity attack. In one interlude, Reed heroically saves Hemingford from Armitage’s clutches. In another, Armitage viciously chokes Hemingford with Reed nowhere to be seen. The disparity of these scenes shows just how different the couple remember the night in question and highlights their inability to see things from the other person’s point of view. The lighting for the rest of the play is very bright which perhaps represents the spotlight being shone on this dysfunctional relationship.

Reed and Hemingford have little chemistry which for the most part serves the play well. Mark and Jessica are clearly bad for each other and their views on the world, relationships and the future are wildly different. This lack of chemistry however also made it quite difficult to understand how they had ever been a couple in the first place even when they do reminisce about their early romance. The couple are hugely unlikeable, and it is hard for the audience to be sympathetic to their plight considering the lack of effort on both sides to make things work. Regardless, Reed and Hemingford are strong actors and are at their best when monologuing.

The set is not particularly complex, but the space is used well. A raised square stage is backed by a set of cupboards filled with coats, food, toiletries and books which helps to expand the space beyond the dining room table set at the centre of the stage. This does also however mean that the actors often have their backs to the audience which is mildly frustrating in a play where facial expression is of the upmost importance. In addition, Reed and Hemingford frequently step off the raised stage onto the theatre floor which helps to foster greater intimacy between the audience and the quarrelling couple.

Despite its flaws, Flinch is a compelling piece of theatre and it is hard not to get invested in the young couple’s drama. Flinch is a poignant reminder of how easily things can fall apart and a great advocation for the importance of interpersonal communication.

White Bear Theatre

Reviewed – 6th June 2019

★★★

“whilst the execution isn’t quite as slick as it could be, Watts has done well in discovering a long-discarded play which speaks volumes to a modern audience”

Reviewed by Miriam Sallon

Photography by Ali Wright

Garry

White Bear Theatre until 22nd June

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 29th May 2019

★★★

“Despite its flaws, Flinch is a compelling piece of theatre and it is hard not to get invested in the young couple’s drama”

Despite its flaws, Flinch is a compelling piece of theatre and it is hard not to get invested in the young couple’s drama. Flinch is a poignant reminder of how easily things can fall apart and a great advocation for the importance of interpersonal communication.

Reviewed by Flora Doble

Photography by Ali Wright

Flinch

Old Red Lion Theatre until 15th June

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: