Bread and Roses Theatre Archives - Page 6 of 18

The Mind Reading Experiments

Bread & Roses Theatre

Reviewed – 26th May 2019

★★★

“McCabe is a friendly, effervescent and approachable host which certainly helps when garnering audience participation”

The set-up of this show is very similar to many others that focus on psychology and mind reading: clever tricks using body language, infused with humour and historical anecdotes along the way. The difference with this show; an aspect enjoyed by previous audiences, as the creator Tomas McCabe expressed, was that he would proceed to share with us how he achieved these supposed acts of mind reading feats.

With that news came eager anticipation. The production suddenly elevated itself from being simply a ‘fun and entertaining’ show to a, potentially, fascinating journey into the mechanics of ‘mind reading’ and the psychology behind it.

Unfortunately the show didn’t quite fulfil on this promise. McCabe is a friendly, effervescent and approachable host which certainly helps when garnering audience participation (an essential aspect of the show). He is also very observant and his keen skills in reading body language were certainly showcased. And though McCabe, initially, guided us through his tricks with informed narration, it was quite sparse and undetailed. Not the revelatory exploration first expected.

Throughout the show there were many spoken interludes perforated between ‘mind reading’ demonstrations. This was often to provide backstory and context. It can be a bit of a challenge, with this format, to maintain a consistent pace and often the energy began to drag a little. This show is due to head to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year, and I am sure it will perform well as most shows like this do. McCabe, being the talented and likeable person that he is, will surely engage the audience and entertain them. This also provides McCabe time between now and the festival, to tweak the show and perfect it for a larger crowd. Hopefully finding that balance between action and speech to create a continuous flow.

Nearing the end of the performance McCabe made an uplifting speech about freedom. Encouraging us to be bold and think independently from media and advertising, as those are often coercing factors that dictate our actions – essentially mind reading us all the time. This positive and rousing address, thought provoking as it was, sadly translated as somewhat incongruent with the show. Sometimes McCabe traversed between superficial entertainment and social reflectiveness; meandering somewhere in the middle. This is essentially where the show fell short. Had he committed, fully, to exploring human psychology with his audience, it could have converted his production from a clever mind reading sketch into a profoundly, socially transforming show. If McCabe wished to encourage his audience to have more freedom of thought, he missed out on an opportunity to facilitate this by holding back on his insight into the way humans communicate with each other and the world around them.

This show has great potential and I am sure that, with time, McCabe will draw that out and develop a thoughtful and enjoyable mind bending show in the near future.

Reviewed by Pippin

The Mind Reading Experiments

Bread & Roses Theatre

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Like Lions | ★★★★ | October 2018

Metamorphosis | ★★★★ | October 2018

Testament | ★★★★ | October 2018

The Enemies | ★★★ | October 2018

The Gap | ★★★★ | October 2018

Baby Blues | ★★★ | December 2018

A Modest Little Man | ★★★ | January 2019

Two Of A Kind | ★★★ | January 2019

Just To Sit At Her Table, Silver Hammer & Mirabilis | ★★★ | April 2019

Starved | ★★★★★ | April 2019

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

Starved

Bread & Roses Theatre

Reviewed – 30th April 2019

★★★★★

“Black and Connaughton have fantastic chemistry and their conversations flow seamlessly”

Starved, a dark comedy written by and starring Michael Black and produced by Faded Ink Productions, explores the extremes that people are willing to go to when desperate. Faded Ink produce theatre that reflects working-class society and aims to represent communities and experiences that are not regularly shown in theatre and Starved is no exception.

Directed by Matt Strachan, Starved follows a young unnamed couple (Michael Black and Alana Connaughton) who are on the run for an initially unknown crime which forces them to squat in a bedsit in one of Hull’s roughest estates. They pass the time drinking, smoking and creating stories for the neighbours they can see out the window. They steal Rich Tea biscuits and Cup-a-Soup to survive, spending the little cash they do have on Glen’s Vodka.

Their relationship is highly toxic with conversations swinging from whispering sweet nothings to raging arguments in a matter of minutes. As the couple are slowly driven mad by their forced confinement, they start to consider whether it may just be easier to just face the consequences of their heinous actions.

The plot and script are strong, and a lot is packed into the short forty five minute running time. The couple discuss all manner of topics from their favourite childhood movies to the fictional rapper MC Devvo. The play however does end rather abruptly, and the plot could have perhaps benefitted from some expansion as it would have been interesting to delve further into the couple’s past and what led them to this squat.

The set is masterfully designed. The audience sits around a small rectangular stage which is enclosed by a web of rope to reflect the couple’s entangled entrapment. It is littered with rubbish, sleeping bags, cigarettes and a chair which creates a simple yet grotty environment. A rudimentary window is fashioned out of rope on one side and a large opening on another side acts as a doorway to the rest of the couple’s squatting complex. This helps open up the stage while simultaneously keeping the space confined.

There is little done with the lighting apart from at the play’s end where the set and actors are made overwhelming bright before a cut to black. The lighting is therefore very natural and keeps the play grounded in the harsh reality of this young couple. There are also no sound effects used in the play which keeps the audience’s focus on the yo-yoing conversations of the two squatters.

Black and Connaughton have fantastic chemistry and their conversations flow seamlessly. They joke, they argue, they kiss, and it is all thoroughly believable. Despite the short running time, their relationship is well explored, and the audience can sympathise with the cognitive tension between not wanting to be alone and staying in a toxic dynamic.

Starved is a powerfully intimate insight into a working-class couple’s struggle to survive in a system stacked against them and is well worth watching.

Bread & Roses Theatre

Reviewed – 26th May 2019

★★★

“McCabe is a friendly, effervescent and approachable host which certainly helps when garnering audience participation”

With that news came eager anticipation. The production suddenly elevated itself from being simply a ‘fun and entertaining’ show to a, potentially, fascinating journey into the mechanics of ‘mind reading’ and the psychology behind it.

This show has great potential and I am sure that, with time, McCabe will draw that out and develop a thoughtful and enjoyable mind bending show in the near future.

Reviewed by Pippin

The Mind Reading Experiments

Bread & Roses Theatre

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Bread & Roses Theatre

Reviewed – 30th April 2019

★★★★★

“Black and Connaughton have fantastic chemistry and their conversations flow seamlessly”

Starved is a powerfully intimate insight into a working-class couple’s struggle to survive in a system stacked against them and is well worth watching.

Reviewed by Flora Doble

Starved

Bread & Roses Theatre until 11th May

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: