“truthful, engaging stories delivered with sincerity”
Motherlogues at the Etcetera Theatre, Camden, is the third instalment of Forked Theatre’s successful show. It sees five female actors perform monologues addressing issues affecting women. The main theme of motherhood is at the heart of the production and further themes branch from this. These include mother/daughter relationships, birth, surrogacy, miscarriage and the judgement and stigma that can surround these topics.
The most intriguing aspect of the production, and its creative process, is the fact the five actors spent just five days creating the monologues from their own life experiences. These, alongside experiences ‘donated’ to the company by other women, result in truthful, engaging stories delivered with sincerity that female audience members will no doubt be able to relate to.
The stories include a harrowing account of the process of a natural miscarriage, a difficult birth in a Spanish hospital, a woman who underwent a hysterectomy at the age of 22 and an insight into the pressures put on young women to settle down and have a family.
The actors present the stories under a single spotlight, in turn, while the remaining actors sit in darkness at each side of the stage. This allows the audience to hone in on the individual delivering the story and engage with the emotions and issues being presented. The production’s dialogue is largely read from scripts, which led to a few stumbles in the dialogue, but these by no means affected the overall delivery of the piece and were soon forgotten.
Motherlogues deals with topics in relation to motherhood which are not often discussed, but are nevertheless important. The production has the ability to be kept fresh, with the possibility for new instalments and stories from different women. It explores what it is to be a woman in the 21st century and will hopefully encourage discussion of delicate, but highly relevant topics affecting women today.
Reviewed by Emily K Neal
MOTHERLOGUES
is at The Etcetera Theatre until 27th August as part of Camden Fringe Festival
“a quality script, beautifully delivered and charmingly performed”
Coincidence creates connection in this sweet and gentle tale of strangers living in an anonymous city. Julia Cranney’s play tells the story of Daniel and Ava, two unlikely companions dealing with the loneliness of modern life and finding comfort in a chance encounter. The second show, from the already award-winning Pennyworth Productions, is a delicate comedy attempting to address the loneliness of modern living. A gentle laugh rather than a guffaw.
This is perfect 6’o’clock viewing – a good cup of coffee at the end of the day. Endearing from the outset, the play presents our two abandoned souls with warmth and humour, never cloying or obvious. The production plays to the venue’s strengths, keeping it simple and open, but not un-sophisticated. The action of the play is mainly told through two voice overs, which is insightful but not over bearing, and Richard Speir’s direction carefully balances the blossoming friendship. The overall effect is very slick, but most importantly frees the actors to really nuance their performances.
As a two hander, the play rests on the strength of the cast and both performers more than live up to the task. Writer Julia Cranney is all too recognisable as the isolated Ava, both desperate and terrified to reach out to others. Nervy and vulnerable, Cranney’s is equally matched by the stoic and easy going Daniel, a man dealing with the aftermath a family breakdown. In lesser hands, this character could have easily been seedy, but Simon Mattacks is brilliant in his portrayal – instantly reassuring and charismatic. The contrast between the world-weary and the naïve have you really rooting for these characters to open up to each other from the get go, and the pay off, though small, is striking.
The only slight criticism I can offer is a scene where Mattacks performs with his back to the audience. While I can see the narrative sense and it is in-keeping with the tone of the piece, it shuts Daniel out of the intimacy that Speir’s has built between the audience and the performers. Even that slight barrier, made me feel like I was missing something from the scene as a whole. That said, it gives Cranney a real chance to articulate Ava’s dilemma and Mattacks recovers more than admirably.
I really liked this show. While it may not be the flashiest or most spectacular show on the Fringe this season, what it does it does really – a quality script, beautifully delivered and charmingly performed. This is a company that clearly takes a lot of pride in their work and it certainly pays off – this is new writing at its best. A strong and safe second outing for a new company that I would highly recommend.
Reviewed for thespyinthestalls.com
MOMENTS
is at the Hen & Chickens Theatre on 26th & 27th August as part of the Camden Fringe Festival
