“there was a genuine dialogue between the performers and the audience that was in no way forced or artificial”
The Camden Fringe has officially begun! Monday had a full programme of shows to kick off the festival, with one of the last of the day being Hatch It Theatre’s production of ‘How To Make Me Happy’. This show mixes physical theatre, audience participation and improvisation, as three nameless characters who are trapped in a world where ‘happiness’ is enforced attempt to free themselves by answering a simple question; What makes us really happy?
As we ascended the stairs of the Lion and Unicorn, every audience member was given a coloured post-it-note, and upon entering the room a robotic voice instructed us to write down things that made us happy. This was a very gentle and amusing way of getting the audience warmed up for a show in which they would be heavily involved. Then, the show started, and the fun began! The performance centred on three characters, suffering from sudden paralysis, whose only means of movement was to make themselves truly happy. They had clearly been in this state for a while, and the actors presented the relationships between them superbly. All three provided high energy, specific character choices and urgency, and it was thrilling just to watch them talk to each other. As the show progressed, and their attempts to make themselves happy faltered, they started to get some help from the audience.
Audience participation carries with it the dangers of making an audience uncomfortable, and the performers not getting the responses they want. This was not the case with this show. Instead, all of the audience were made to feel welcome, and free to get involved. All of us were invited to participate in games that the characters played to make themselves happy. Our notes were read aloud, audience members were rushing on stage, and there was a genuine dialogue between the performers and the audience that was in no way forced or artificial. The often stuffy and lonely environment of a theatre was replaced with something truly unique and enjoyable.
Performances like this, and the overwhelmingly joyous reaction of the audience, reminds me that this is the type of theatre that modern day audiences crave. Theatre-goers, and indeed everyday people, are in dire need of communal, shared experiences. The play touches beautifully on how we are often so afraid to admit the little things that make us happy, and indeed I fear that potential audiences may see the description or title of this play and decide that it is too silly or juvenile. Don’t be put off, as the show is not an attempt to spoon-feed happiness to the audience. It is simply a beautifully crafted platform for the audience and performer to really talk, and maybe even find some happiness together.
“a complex play that conjures up twists until the final moment”
Before a small theatre pub and music venue called The Water Rats came into being, there existed in its place a pub called The Pindar of Wakefield. In its time, it was visited by such luminaries as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Bob Dylan. Unfortunately none of them were available on Monday to discuss love, life, and relationships – luckily, playwright Olugbeminiyi Bammodu was around to do it instead.
Bammodu’s play, which he wrote and directed, dissects the relationship between Melissa and Daniel, a couple who met at university. Their idealistic student days are long gone; their affection for one another has taken its leave, too. Melissa, now a successful lawyer, resents having to financially support her artist boyfriend: the romantic notion of him ‘waiting for inspiration’ has long gone sour. Daniel perceives this as a lack of support, diminishing his confidence even further. The various misunderstandings between the two create tension that is only exacerbated by the arrival of Daniel’s brother Jacob, who is intent on reawakening the family drama that Daniel has tried to forget.
Anyone expecting a simple domestic drama should reject this notion instantly. Clingfilm is a complex play that conjures up twists until the final moment. This is to both its credit and its detriment. On one hand, it keeps the audience invested in its characters, all of whom are given depth and intriguing histories. Conversely, it makes for a play that is a little overlong and, in places, melodramatic. Attempts to maintain the high stakes sometimes miss the mark and the revelations sometimes come too suddenly to be believable. Ultimately, Melissa and Daniel’s relationship comes second to the various tangents that are set up and rarely resolved. The set goes some way to compensate for this. A photo of the couple stands downstage centre: physically, at least, their relationship is always at the forefront. But this isn’t quite enough to avoid it being weighed down by extraneous melodrama.
Fortunately, a strong cast is on hand to bring the script to life and sustain some of its more ridiculous moments. Anna Thornley and Matt Rolls give the play a strong foundation as Melissa and Daniel, capturing the varied nature of their relationship with great sensitivity. Olivia Caw and Elliot O’Donnell provide excellent support as Melissa’s best friend Rachel and Daniel’s brother Jacob. Both, especially Caw, give scenes balance and bring warmth and plausibility that is sometimes missing from the dialogue. All have a flair for comedy and draw out the humorous elements in a way that does not feel forced or unnatural. Thornley is particularly good at this: her correction of Daniel’s grammar is a running joke that brings some welcome laughter during tense moments.
‘I should have chose her!’ – ‘Chosen, Daniel.’
Clingfilm promises an intimate look at a relationship from the inside. But as it progresses the play becomes overwhelmed by other elements which, though effective, relegate the audience to mere spectators of the chaos rather than accomplices in the drama.
