Cockpit Theatre Archives - Page 10 of 19

★★★★

“this is an excellent play … performed by three actresses at the top of their game”

It is sometimes difficult to be inspired when you check out theatre listings and find the same old plays. So the promise of a brand new comedy was enough to put a spring in my step as I made my way to The Cockpit theatre.

This is the story of a mother and her two daughters who occasionally go on outings together. They had previously had a spa day, been paintballing and this time, daughter Ann had planned a trip moth hunting in Macclesfield forest. This came as a surprise to her sister Susan, who when she heard they were roughing it, thought that meant an evening at Wetherspoon’s. The forest visit had a little bit of moth hunting, plenty of trivial sibling rivalry, a few revelations falling out of the closet and a nasty injury which resulted in both division and reconciliation.

The set (Greg Spong) was a cleverly projected dense wood image with plenty of dead leaves littered around the stage. The props including a bright blanket, moth catching kit and a variety of bags were pretty much perfect. Sound and lighting were fairly minimal and yet bang on point when required.

This was a perfectly cast play. I absolutely bought the three ladies as a family unit, comfortable in each others company, always willing to tease and yet their love for each other always shining through at times of crisis. Charlotte Baker (Ann) was the most straight-laced of the sisters, her insecurities were nicely observed and the random dance that she performed to ‘Waterloo’ with her sister was a delight. Kathryn McGarr (Susan) had the best of the laughs, her inappropriate clothing and high heels I felt could have been even more outrageous, but her comedy skills were expertly showcased and she at one point, sported the most impressive leg wound that I’ve seen for a long time. Verity Richards (Gill) was just lovely, she didn’t really care what was going on around her, she just loved being with her girls, her comic timing was a real highlight for me. Gareth Turkington (Sid) made up the cast playing Susan’s partner. Trying to get angry with her, he clearly didn’t have a nasty bone in his body and gave a smashing, comedic performance. The director (Rosie Snell) made good use of the space and kept everything moving along at a good pace.

This piece started life as a ten minute sketch at a new writing night and playwright Phil Ball has developed it into a full play. It is consistently funny, favourite scenes for me being Ann’s story about missing her father’s funeral, the plant watering episode and a short scene with an Uber-Eats driver that was just brilliant.

A few cues were missed early on resulting in some laughs being lost and the audience laughter also drowned out some text here and there. But this is an excellent play, much of the script able to be appreciated by a younger audience and performed by three actresses at the top of their game. Lovely to see such an amusing new comedy hitting the theatre, not only that, I learnt plenty of interesting facts about moths into the bargain.

Reviewed by Chris White

Photography by Rosie Snell

The Werewolf Of Washington Heights

Cockpit Theatre

Reviewed – 19th August 2019

★★★★

“The dark themes are illuminated by darker humour which the fearless cast deliver with precision timing”

A lone figure, accompanied by Afro-Cuban music and New York police sirens, introduces this intriguing piece in almost total darkness. Seemingly spouting poetic nonsense her words do lodge themselves into our minds to take on their full meaning and resonance later on in the play. She wields torchlight into our faces like a searchlight, symbolising not just her own need, but our collective desire to find answers. It is this quest that steers the narrative that centres on the disappearance of a schoolgirl. Mary has gone missing – she is not the first nor last in this New York Community – but this is not her story. It belongs to those left behind.

Christie Perfetti Williams writes with a sharp eye on the Zeitgeist but is at risk of trying to pack too much into her play, which has transferred from Off-Broadway to form part of the Camden Fringe. Set in the near future it mixes family drama with political statement but seasons it with every ingredient in the modern-day cookbook: themes of immigration, deportation, racism, misogyny, terrorism, civil rights. It is all quite familiar now, yet Perfetti Williams and the all-female cast manage to send tremors through us without breaking new ground.

It is the early 2020s, and America is at war following a New York subway terrorist attack. Authoritarian rule has taken over, immigration discontinued, and the residents of Washington Heights exist in an Orwellian society where curfews are imposed, and rights deposed. In the wake of Mary’s disappearance, a television reporter and her (refugee) camerawoman come to interview the mother and her wife, along with Mary’s twin sister, aunt, grandmother and neighbour. Each character has their own take on the story, encompassing the full range of emotional reactions while the reporter merely looks for sensational soundbites. The performances are outstanding across the board, especially Maggie, the missing girl’s “half white, half Jewish, half black” twin sister who mixes on-the-cusp autism with a deranged sassiness that makes her the most acutely aware character.

Perfetti Williams’ script does not shy away from profanity, which helps give it its rawness and honesty. The dark themes are illuminated by darker humour which the fearless cast deliver with precision timing. As with most shows on the Camden Fringe, none of the performers are named or credited, which is a shame here as each one deserves a mention. The acting is as insightful as the writing. The only moment that jars is a rather disjointed and superfluous dance piece during which two of the cast parade the stage in wolf heads. Its purpose is unclear and rather than add to the sense of mystery it merely breaks the spell. The magic of this play lies within the language – visual metaphors are unnecessary.

We do eventually discover what happened to Mary. However, it is the journey there; the exposition that eclipses the coda. It is a gripping drama; both panoramic and intimate. It makes fantasy real and chillingly reminds us how the perils of society are prowling amongst us, like packs of wolves; in the dark but ever present.

Cockpit Theatre

Reviewed – 26th September 2019

★★★★

“this is an excellent play … performed by three actresses at the top of their game”

It is sometimes difficult to be inspired when you check out theatre listings and find the same old plays. So the promise of a brand new comedy was enough to put a spring in my step as I made my way to The Cockpit theatre.

The set (Greg Spong) was a cleverly projected dense wood image with plenty of dead leaves littered around the stage. The props including a bright blanket, moth catching kit and a variety of bags were pretty much perfect. Sound and lighting were fairly minimal and yet bang on point when required.

Reviewed by Chris White

Photography by Rosie Snell

Moth Hunting

Cockpit Theatre until 28th September

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Cockpit Theatre

Reviewed – 19th August 2019

★★★★

“The dark themes are illuminated by darker humour which the fearless cast deliver with precision timing”

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Andrew McGlade

The Werewolf Of Washington Heights

Cockpit Theatre until 23rd August as part of Camden Fringe 2019

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: