Tag Archives: Camden Fringe

CHECKMATE

★★★

Etcetera Theatre

Reviews, , , , , , , , , , , ,

CHECKMATE

Etcetera Theatre

★★★

“fast, funny and tender”

Dealing with death is difficult. But then so is dealing with other life events; and so is figuring out friendship. Dan and Brandon are not really friends. They have different tastes, outlooks and ways of dealing with things. Dan, played by Alfie Thompson Brown, is withdrawn, superior and wants to be left alone. Brandon (Owen Welsh) is loud and out there, a Liverpool supporter who likes to talk – but Dan won’t let him.

They do, however, have one thing in common. Both have lost their fathers. And Dan’s girlfriend thinks Brandon taking Dan to a football match will help him open up and deal with his grief. It is only later on that the full football connection is revealed.

Robert Monaghan’s new work is a fast-paced, sixty minute comedy drama. It is full of laughs but then wrings out a very poignant ending. As it starts, the two male characters are uncomfortably seated together on a sofa in Dan’s flat waiting for a bad evening to end. Brandon is trying to get some rise out of Dan and failing badly. In an act of desperation (on both sides) they start a game of chess.

It was never really clear to me why the play is shaped as a game of chess, nor whether the ending was the ‘Checkmate’ of the title. This didn’t feel like a competition, much less a game of strategy – although there is some weird manipulation going on: when she appears, Alice (Lucy Eddington) is impatient with her boyfriend, but it is quickly revealed (to Brandon) that she has a secondary agenda.

Despite the somewhat clumsy device, after a slowish start this is an hour full of action and reversals. It is fast, funny and tender. Thompson Brown skilfully loosens up his character. Frozen-faced at one moment, in the next he is a drama queen rolling on the floor. Welsh plays Brandon with great charisma, a lot of arm-waving and a superb Liverpudlian accent, if not his own. Eddington as Alice shows, with great charm, how contrary a woman trying to control events can be.

Director Erin Elsmore extracts big comic moments from each scene and leads it to a satisfying close. This is a good, all-round short play, produced as part of the Camden Fringe Festival 2025 by Ramhaus Productions. It works mainly for the 25-40 age group who will recognise some of their own conflicts and anxieties in the storyline, as well as the painful journey to maturity.



CHECKMATE

Etcetera Theatre

Reviewed on 2nd September 2025

by Louise Sibley

Photography by Erin Elsmore


 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

HOSTAGE | ★★★★ | March 2024
DEAD SOULS | ★★½ | August 2023
FLAMENCO: ORIGENES | ★★★★ | August 2023

 

 

CHECKMATE

CHECKMATE

CHECKMATE

FICKLE EULOGY

★★★

Hope Theatre

Reviews, , , , ,

FICKLE EULOGY

Hope Theatre

★★★

“has huge potential and heart”

We’re still feeling the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps those who lost loved ones most of all. But how do we honour someone whose choices contributed to their death? ‘Fickle Eulogy’ tackles this complicated beast with great potential, if in need of a little more polish.

Ann is grieving the potentially preventable loss of her mother to COVID-19. As she writes and rewrites a eulogy for the funeral, she struggles to reconcile the truth of a complicated person and time with the tactfulness of a eulogy, becoming wildly derailed by her own complex emotions. Based on true events, the ending pulls off a fitting memorial with gut wrenching honesty.

A one-woman show written and performed by Nikol Kollars, Fickle Eulogy is cleverly crafted and emotionally intense, encapsulating the complex nature of grief. It masterfully heightens the emotional tension in unexpected ways, such counterpointing the unravelling protagonist against a laconic and monotone Alexa. This both lightens and grounds Ann’s raging emotional tornado and introduces deeper elements such as the sense of surveillance which accompanies eulogies and intruding reminders of lost time. It is also funny and witty before delivering a devastating final gut punch (one audience member wept as they left).

It’s such a personal work that I find it hard to be critical. However, a few things currently curb its potential. I get Ann’s mind is literally doing somersaults, but the sudden jumping between topic and tone can be a little jarring. It does well to cover a host of themes, such as disinformation, racism, and distrust of big pharma, rife in the USA at the time. However, it’s working harder to land with a UK audience which could perhaps be remedied by fleshing a couple of themes out. The timing of the piece is interesting – why now? Of course, grief doesn’t just disappear and the pandemic’s impact is still being felt, but it feels like a time capsule to the past despite its futuristic spin – though I admit introducing the ‘now’ would be challenging in its current format.

Kollars gives an earnest and urgent one-woman performance as Ann, shifting rapidly between a kaleidoscope of emotions. The most impressive moment is when Ann finally finds peace, conveying a deep inner calm and expertly resolving the previous intensity. That said, you could tell it was opening night with some fumbling for lines, a few pauses here and there, and a little less distinction between emotional tones than I was hoping for. Though all of this will be remedied with time and I expect later performances will be gripping when the work finds its stride.

Javier Galito-Cava’s direction brings out a deeply heartfelt performance with humour, grit and intensity, capturing the essence of an uneasy mind and the peace it eventually finds. Galito-Cava brings a small black box theatre completely to life through colourful (both figurative and literal) use of space and props. Who knew Yorick’s skull could be so wordlessly funny? Detracting a little is perhaps the number of props used, sometimes necessitating a quick clean up. This feels a little cluttered, though does effectively symbolise the fullness of Ann’s mind.

Koa Salazar’s tech design is brilliantly impactful. The lighting has some fantastic transitions and contrasts, effectively conveying emotional shifts of all sizes. I love the inventive use of hidden lights in the otherwise black space at times. The sound design is impressive, with Alexa and a range of other sound effects never missing a beat. The semi-symbolic costumes evoke different moods with flair.

Opening night jitters aside, Fickle Eulogy has huge potential and heart. It will be a force to be reckoned with once it finds its stride, and I recommend anyone looking for theatre they can connect with deeply to see it. Bring tissues!



FICKLE EULOGY

Hope Theatre

Reviewed on 16th August 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

855-FOR-TRUTH | ★★★ | February 2025
ROSIE’S BRAIN | ★★★★ | February 2025
PORT CITY SIGNATURE | ★★★½ | October 2024
THE LEAST WE COULD DO | ★★★★★ | October 2023
MIND FULL | ★★★ | March 2023
HEN | ★★★ | June 2022
100 PAINTINGS | ★★ | May 2022
FEVER PITCH | ★★★★ | September 2021

FICKLE EULOGY

FICKLE EULOGY

FICKLE EULOGY