“a well matched and skilled ensemble who clearly enjoy the challenges presented by playing a huge range of character”
This wonderful tale of the adventures of Ernest Faigele Fine is a gender fluid delight, and should be prescribed for anyone who needs a joyous evening of laughter. Sue Frumin’s play began its life in 1999 as a one person show and has been developed with the Arcola Queer Collective into an energetic, hilarious romp.
The cast of ten almost all play multiple roles, and swap from one to the other with fast paced alacrity. They are a well matched and skilled ensemble who clearly enjoy the challenges presented by playing a huge range of characters that include a snake and God! Rach Skyer is so engaging as Ernest that the whole audience was rooting for them to find their way in life, to get to New York and become a great entertainer. To be truly Fine and Dandy.
There were some fabulous slapstick moments and a real poignancy, some villains and some heroes. And an audience that included quite a few reviewers roaring with laughter.
Jonathan Richardson’s direction is assured and has a lovely light touch. In the program notes they say ‘I like to make theatre which holds to the principle that a beautiful lie is far more important than the truth.’ They have certainly achieved that with this play. It has the lightness of a fairy tale and the energy of a farce, and is a celebration of Queerness that you could happily bring your children to.
The set is basic, with hanging curtains, trunks and a coffin forming most of it, and the many costumes are perfectly designed to allow super fast changes and support the characters they clothe. From the moment the audience enters, the atmosphere of a seemingly chaotic circus arriving in town is established, as characters flap about, argue, rearrange the ‘furniture’ and generally create the world of the play as people take their seats. Then the house lights go down and a genuinely mirthful and exuberant hour ensues. I was humming ‘Misery Farm’ all the way home.
I hope that this show has a life after its short run at the Arcola. It deserves to carry on and take the tale of ‘Ernest/Ernestine Faigele Fine, a singer of cheap ballads and weary tunes, inventor of the worst magic acts in history, a clog dancer of no particular skill and a wandering jew at the turn of the twentieth century’ to a wider audience.
“Heretic Productions should be warmly congratulated for giving an opportunity to three relatively new women’s voices that may well otherwise have remained unheard”
Last year Heretic Productions announced a rare opportunity for writers from all backgrounds to see their work published and fully produced on the main stage at the Arcola Theatre in Dalston. The rules were specific in that the work must not have previously been performed professionally, have a running time of between 15 and 45 minutes, be a monologue and be performed in English.
A nationwide search opened in May 2017 which received over one thousand submissions. A shortlist of nine was then given to a panel and from these, three works were chosen to be produced. Those are now presented collectively as Heretic Voices and are Woman Caught Unaware by Annie Fox, Dean McBride by Sonya Hale and A Hundred Words for Snow by Tatty Hennessy.
This was my first visit to The Arcola Theatre which is housed in a converted paint factory and I was impressed with the design and feel of this vibrant venue. On entering the main theatre there is a basic set of a white square on the floor and each of the plays makes full advantage of the minimalist design. Seating is on three sides and the audience close to the action. The evening begins with all three actors entering before two depart to leave only seasoned actor Amanda Boxer on stage and we are about to experience Woman Caught Unaware.
This is about Mary, a sixty something professor that many graduates will identify with, who discovers there is a photograph of her that has gone online. It is the story of an older woman being photographed without her permission, her being naked in a changing room. The image is shared and she is mocked online. The monologue allows her to tell her side of the story without interruption during which we learn more about body shaming and the emotions that kind of humiliation brings.
It is a challenging role for an older woman which, in the main, Boxer takes in her stride. There are a couple of moments of slight hesitation in her delivery but given this was only the second performance it didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the performance. It is funny, moving and thought provoking.
Next on was Ted Reilly, many will know him as Johnny Carter from Eastenders, who plays Boy in Dean McBride. This is a story of a boy growing up on a Croydon council estate and sees part of his life from his 10 and 16 year old points of view. It is a vivid story of loss, deprivation, suffering and redemption through love. He struggles through life before finding his way back to happiness.
Reilly uses the stage floor well and has a strong physicality about his performance. Some of the language is both ‘strong’ and ‘street’ and the writing takes the audience on a journey to a place many would not want to go. Disappointingly Reilly had to refer to the printed script in the last few minutes and hopefully this will not be the case in future.
Following a short break it was the turn of Lauren Samuels who gave an outstanding performance in A Hundred Words for Snow. Brilliantly written and expertly acted it is a story of a teenage girl who runs away from home with her father’s ashes to visit the North Pole. It looks at the complexities, joys and difficulties of being a teenage girl. Samuels appears fresh from her run in Romantics Anonymous at The Globe, which finished on Saturday. She is a consummate professional and was quite incredible as Rory. The audience reaction at the end was a fitting tribute to her 5 star performance.
In conclusion each performance is well performed and directed with effective yet minimal set, lighting and sound support. Heretic Productions should be warmly congratulated for giving an opportunity to three relatively new women’s voices that may well otherwise have remained unheard.
