★★

“Grier is full of energy, and her performance should bring a drive to the piece”

There are some great ideas in this one-woman deep dive through rom com history, but it loses itself in an increasingly elaborate plot tangle.

We’re welcomed to a live recording of the final episode of a beloved podcast. The podcast is a real-life rom com, each episode following the familiar structure of the genre (there’s a meet cute, a turning point, etc.) The show recaps the podcast series, mixing ‘exclusive live content’ with reminders about the previous episodes. It also explains the slightly convoluted backstory of the podcast, involving a meddling boss wanting to create fresh advertising content for a bus company.

The play is the brainchild of writer/performer Georgie Grier, and producer/director Grace O’Keefe. As is sometimes the case though, with a very small team, it feels like a lot of ideas have been thrown about, and very few have been edited out.

Grier is full of energy, and her performance should bring a drive to the piece, but it is weighed down by its own referential nature. Made all the more obvious by constantly nodding to rom com structure, the play’s own structure is increasingly meandering.

A lot of this is down to Grier’s script. It’s a bit overwritten, and while there are some really funny lines, they often don’t quite land. It references other scripts a lot, often not to its benefit. The character’s intentional awkwardness doesn’t set the audience at ease, and it’s hard to know what we’re rooting for. There’s also an eye rolling twist which undercuts a lot of the character work and makes the story feel stilted and undeveloped. It feels like an easy attempt at an ending, rather than one which feels true to the soul of the show.

“This show has sweet and funny moments,”

However, the soul of the show is sweet. A girl so obsessed with rom coms that she tries to force one for herself. Even though she secretly knows it lacks that rom com ‘sparkle’. If the show had spent more time delving into the character’s development, without as many over explained references, and past podcast episodes, it might have been a lot stronger. Sometimes when something is simpler, it can be more powerful.

This would give a chance for Grier to shine more. Dipping between comedy and the darker scenes she shows incredible range and an admirable stage presence.

The set is simple, a bench, which Grier uses to whip out some physical comedy and impressions. A podcast staple – a side table with jug of water and glasses. And the carol singers sign from Love Actually. There’s also a PowerPoint AV which at times is a strong way to keep the momentum going, or note a rom com reference, but is often a little distracting.

This show has sweet and funny moments, but it is a bit confused and tied up in too much plotting, and too many references.

RED PITCH at the Bush Theatre

★★★★

“It bubbles with slang and a million references a second”

Red Pitch is back at The Bush to much fanfare. The first time around it sold out, won awards, and received great critical acclaim. It’s easy to see why. It’s a powerhouse of a play, and refreshingly rooted in its time and place.

The show follows three boys Omz (Francis Lovehall) Bilal (Kedar Williams-Stirling, now of Sex Education fame) and Joey (Emeka Sesay) who play football together, and dream of being scouted, even as their neighbourhood is uprooted around them.

It’s a play about gentrification, and the way that communities are being torn up, the souls of areas being scrubbed away and replaced with generic chain stores and luxury housing. But it’s told through these boys’ eyes, so the developers are ‘renewing endz’ and much of the discussion circles around the shutting of a favourite chicken shop. They’re charmingly innocent. It’s fresh, but it’s still angry.

Tyrell Williams’ script is fantastic. It bubbles with slang and a million references a second, building these teens up into completely believable characters. There’s no question of who these boys are, or where they’re from. In many ways the boys are very similar, but they have very different home lives, as well as different religions and levels of affluence. They’re united by their shared dream of becoming professional football players.

Daniel Bailey’s direction is dynamic and energetic. Footballs are dribbled across the stage – there’s a shockingly intense fight (directed by Kev McCurdy), which has the audience wincing and groaning. The performance is in the round, with the stage becoming a football pitch and each block of audience as part of the stands, there is fencing and barriers between us and the performers. There are flashing lights, like at a stadium (designed by Ali Hunter). Amelia Jane Hankin’s set is bare, it’s an empty pitch. This works very well, it keeps us connected to the action, but also gives a sense of voyeurism. We are watching, and to an extent enjoying, these boys’ struggle, which is especially powerful when they are unaware of the severity of what they’re discussing.

There’s a genuine tenderness between the boys, hidden beneath layers of ribbing and banter. It’s a beautiful connection to watch develop. All three performers are very strong. Sesay’s Joey, is the most anxious of the three. He offers up backup plans in case they’re not scouted, and is the most affected by the change in ‘endz’. Sesay deftly switches between the anxious young man, and joyous teen. Williams-Stirling as Bilal is focussed entirely on the football, but his range is strong, giving us moving moments of pause and dramatic moments of comedy. Lovehall’s Omz is the joker of the gang, but also has the hardest home life. Lovehall effortlessly portrays the struggle to keep things afloat and to keep the mask of nonchalance in place.

There are moments where this fast-paced play does lose momentum. It meanders along, enjoyably, but at times a little slowly. There are movement elements, which show the boys’ aspirations, but feel incongruous with the gritty realism of the rest of the piece.

Overall though, it’s a very special play. The characters it explores are rarely seen on stage, and it’s moving to watch.

Tag Archives: Auriol Reddaway

Sunsets

★★

Seven Dials Playhouse

SUNSETS at the Seven Dials Playhouse

★★

“Grier is full of energy, and her performance should bring a drive to the piece”

“This show has sweet and funny moments,”

SUNSETS at the Seven Dials Playhouse

Reviewed on 21st September 2023

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography courtesy Georgie Grier

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Steve | ★★★★ | February 2022

Sunsets

Sunsets

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Red Pitch

★★★★

Bush Theatre

RED PITCH at the Bush Theatre

★★★★

“It bubbles with slang and a million references a second”