“a showcase rather than a truly theatrical experience”
The Bread and Roses Theatre hosts ‘Talos II’, the second year of the UK’s first and only sci-fi theatre festival. Over four days, twelve writers present works encompassing interesting slants on fantasy and science fiction, with the collaboration of young, novice actors (many from The Guildhall School of Acting). It is an innovative project which gives around eighty artists and creatives the opportunity to express themselves, attracting a buzzing audience of family, friends and sci-fi enthusiasts as well as the regular theatre-goers.
Opening with ‘RIP’, written and directed by American writer Edward Einhorn, we enter the comic-absurd future where the ‘done thing’ is to buy a property with its own corpse, to remind us of the past. Touching on the Monty Pythonesque, the characters fit competently into their roles, Michael Golab standing out as a convincing ‘Rip’ incorporating a clever shift from old to young. Katherine Laheen’s ‘older Amy’ lacks shape at the end, but it is a somewhat unnecessary tying-up of the story, better left to the imagination.
The second piece is written by Christos Callow Jr (the Festival Director) and directed by Sokratis Synitos. A short, humorous sketch which forecasts the evolution between human and robot, played by Bee Scott and Evi Polyviou, it intrigues the audience, holding our attention as we realise how the tables could be turned. It is a well-acted, brief comment on the future of the cyber age. In ‘Paper Doll’, the closing play, Susan Eve Haar explores the subject of cloning; on the surface the break-down of a relationship, it takes an unexpected turn. Molly Rose Barton is strong, confident and moving, but there is an imbalance of intensity between her and Panayiotis Patsias whose performance lacks the necessary conviction, preventing any powerful build-up of tension and emotion. Although Director Katherine Sturt-Scobie makes varied use of the limited space, any action on the floor of the stage is missed from the back of the theatre. The end is artfully punctuated by a projection which emphasises the lack of resourcefulness elsewhere during the evening. All three plays are quite interesting, the costumes are fine and the lighting and sound (Chuma Emembolu) are adequate but there are lapses in the quality of acting which, disappointingly, distracts from the engagement and the enjoyment.
Any initiative to promote the arts should be applauded. However, a limited budget and less experienced actors and technicians does not mean that the standard is compromised, as is evident from the increasing number of small theatres, including the Bread and Roses, producing an almost limitless choice of first-class productions. Hopefully this is first night nerves and that over time the festival will grow, but for the moment it stands as a showcase rather than a truly theatrical experience.
“digs below the clichéd façade to the personal relationships between family and friends”
Set in South-East London’s Thamesmead, dubbed a ‘post-war dream gone wrong’, Scott James brings to life the archetypal sink-estate community, surrounded by the familiarity of domestic abuse, crime and racial and sexual prejudice, in an astute yet imaginative drama. ‘F*ckingLifeMate’ digs below the clichéd façade to the personal relationships between family and friends, drawing the audience into the quagmire of emotions, violence, dejection and survival. The play centres around Kirsty – a brilliant tour de force from Kelsey Short – who is determined to break out of the comfortless cyclic pattern of teenage pregnancy, unemployment and social benefits. The script flows smoothly in and out of dialogue and narrative and James’ direction is the perfect blend of natural and choreographed movement (Michael Flanagan and Cristian Valle) creating a piece of theatre which is impossible to disengage from.
The strong chemistry between the actors reinforces the important bond which holds the group of friends together as they manage problematic home lives. The stereotypes and stereotypical predicaments are all there, but the exceptional standard of the cast prevents it becoming a parody. Chelsea, the defiant lesbian, played by Samantha Jacobs, grounds her brashness from the moment she enters. Roisin Gardner as Jorden conveys fragile, teenage sensitivity reminding us that even pretty girls have feelings and Hayley (Jasmin Gleeson) adds her own assertive fire, herself suffering from a variation on a dysfunctional family. In a particularly bold performance, Gleeson doubles as Kirsty’s mother, impassioned and troubled. Chantel Richardson as Cassie, the newcomer, holds an enigmatic figure until she gradually develops an unexpected friendship with Kirsty, kindling aspirations for a different future. In a poignant outburst of anguish, Nathan Lister as Kirsty’s brother Bradley, pours his heart out to his family, one by one, displaying a range of nuanced tensions and Michael Flanagan moves skilfully from Kirsty’s long-suffering father to her bright-eyed friend, Peter. All also contribute colourful cameos to the scenes, widening the perspective of the social story.
Using a handful of lights, Emilie Nutley transforms the modest Bread and Roses Theatre with hues and shades, often cinematographic in effect. The uncomplicated black and white costumes avoid what could become a pastiche, and the style reminds us of their young age, despite what they have lived. The bare performing area, clever music and only the necessary props accentuate the ingenuity involved in this production – the variety and continuity of movement, dynamics of mood and well-balanced characters.
Although, as pointed out at the beginning of the play, ‘F*ckingLifeMate’ is representative of a condensed portion of Thamesmead, symbolic of the recurrent social problems, this is a production which reaches the audience’s empathy through the essence of theatre. Even the strong language and graphic descriptions fit relevantly into the style. Innovative writing, commanding, expressive acting and free-flowing direction make this an exhilarating theatrical experience delivered at full throttle by a talented team.
