Camden People's Theatre Archives - Page 5 of 14

A Haunted Existence

Camden People’s Theatre

Reviewed – 2nd October 2019

★★★★

“It is a work of exquisite, tender beauty. A unique evening at the theatre.”

Camden People’s Theatre is an intimate venue. The theatre itself holds 60 people, and the pre-show meeting space is not unlike a little tea room, cosy and informal. It always seems slightly out of time, and set apart from 21st century London. Tom Marshman couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate place to stage his deeply touching and beautifully crafted piece of theatre, created in response to a piece of 1950s British queer history.

Marshman makes it clear from the outset that he is a storyteller. There is no ‘acting’ here; instead he talks to us, lip syncs, shows us images, plays us records and reads us letters, all of which serve the story that he wants to share. In 1953, a young gay man – Geoffrey Patrick Williamson – made sexual overtures to an older man on a railway train. This older man turned out to be a Railway Officer in plain clothes, and their encounter led to a court case, as a result of which 17 men were arrested, and nine sent to prison.

Marshman has researched the men involved in this case and the show is the result of his discoveries. Research of this kind can seem a rather dry and dusty pursuit; academic and removed from the emotional world. Nothing could be further from the truth here. Tom Marshman’s work is infused with tenderness. He handles these men’s stories with the greatest love and care, and there is a gentleness inherent in his movement on stage, and in the perfectly chosen 1950s records that he plays that provide his musical score. This is no nostalgic comfort-zone however. Although there are some happy endings, the persecution of these men destroyed lives, and also led to a suicide. Their treatment was brutal; the facts speak for themselves.

A Haunted Existence avoids sentimentality as it is artistically precise. Marshman is most definitely an artist, and one of exceptional skill. The gauze projections could stand alone as an artwork, merging, as they do, archive footage, and newly created black and white images of Marshman himself as period characters in the story. His movement too is spare – whether it be the semaphore alphabet that we see at the top of the show or the mesmeric solo ballroom dancing sequence a little later on – and it is beautiful. Marshman also lip syncs to the clipped 1950s tones of the presiding judge in the case, and to the words of Lord Owen, which laid early foundations for the Wolfenden report a decade later. This is, unexpectedly, extraordinarily moving, and a welcome reminder of the truly subversive power of this gay cabaret skill. Wonderful too, to have a brief lesson in Polari thrown into the mix, and a treat to hear that arch and creative language of subterfuge spoken out loud.

The effect of the whole is that of a delicate layering, a collage, reflecting the process, the careful unravelling of very personal and yet profoundly resonant histories.

It is a work of exquisite, tender beauty. A unique evening at the theatre. Bravo.

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography by Matt Glover

A Haunted Existence

Camden People’s Theatre until 4th October

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Did it Hurt? | ★★★ | August 2018

Hot Flushes – The Musical | ★★★ | June 2019

Ophelia Rewound | ★★★★ | August 2019

The Indecent Musings Of Miss Doncaster 2007 | ★★★½ | August 2019

Click here to see our most recent reviews

★★★★

“As a performer, Spanou is extremely open, with a touch of shyness that makes her endearing”

If someone asked me to choose between abseiling down the Shard and seeing a show that involved audience interaction, I’d be up there faster than you could say, ‘It’s at the Camden People’s Theatre at 9pm, and it’s actually really good.’

There are two reasons why I would prefer to face my fear of heights than go to an interactive show. The first is that the thought of being chosen to participate makes me feel extremely nervous, to the extent that I can’t enjoy the show. The second is that interactive shows can be hit and miss. Whilst some can change the audience’s experience for the better, others fall flat in awkward ways.

With this in mind, I went into Ophelia Rewound with some trepidation, and emerged totally at ease. It is a therapeutic show in many ways, for both the audience and writer/performer Antigoni Spanou. Taking the Shakespearean character as her starting point, Spanou explores the isolating effects of mental health conditions. Since the deaths of her father and the man she loved, Ophelia has lived alone and on the brink of suicide. When a group of unexpected guests arrive, she invites them to share in her last two minutes, during which she dismantles her fears and emerges from the shadows of the men who wronged her.

Spanou tackles sensitive topics engagingly and empathetically, subtly merging sadness and humour to create spectacles out of the most ordinary moments. Ophelia’s attempt to mop up the water from her suicide attempt is awkwardly funny, whilst a game of Never Have I Ever is surprisingly heart-breaking. Each segment feels carefully crafted, both in terms of writing and production design. Joe Iredale’s set, comprised of four white boxes lined up against a wall, contain revelations that constantly surprise. Joseph Thorpe’s lighting design amplifies the emotional content of Spanou’s work, and are beautiful to watch in and of themselves.

As a performer, Spanou is extremely open, with a touch of shyness that makes her endearing. The moment where an audience member joins her on stage (shout out to Jonathan) feels genuine and heartfelt rather than awkward and forced. A personal favourite moment was when Ophelia makes a cup of tea for all the women in the audience. There was a quiet moment where we all sat together as a group, a moment where it didn’t feel like we were in a show at all, but in the company of a friend.

Ophelia Rewound is carefully crafted show about mental health that acts not only as entertainment, but as a tribute to our oft-forgotten inner strength. If I had to choose between abseiling down the Shard and seeing this show two or three more times, I’d be at the Camden People’s Theatre faster than you could say, ‘I am Ophelia, the one that the river cannot keep.’

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

Photography by Ali Wright

Camden People’s Theatre

Reviewed – 2nd October 2019

★★★★

“It is a work of exquisite, tender beauty. A unique evening at the theatre.”

The effect of the whole is that of a delicate layering, a collage, reflecting the process, the careful unravelling of very personal and yet profoundly resonant histories.

It is a work of exquisite, tender beauty. A unique evening at the theatre. Bravo.

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography by Matt Glover

A Haunted Existence

Camden People’s Theatre until 4th October

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Camden People’s Theatre

Reviewed – 22nd August 2019

★★★★

“As a performer, Spanou is extremely open, with a touch of shyness that makes her endearing”

If someone asked me to choose between abseiling down the Shard and seeing a show that involved audience interaction, I’d be up there faster than you could say, ‘It’s at the Camden People’s Theatre at 9pm, and it’s actually really good.’

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

Photography by Ali Wright

Ophelia Rewound

Camden People’s Theatre until 25th August as part of Camden Fringe 2019

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: