Tag Archives: Craig Fuller

FOAM

★★★★

Finborough Theatre

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FOAM at the Finborough Theatre

★★★★

“The execution of the story is fascinating and the reflection on the punk and queer scene of the time is illuminating”

Foam is a biographical story about a gay neo-Nazi from 1974 to 1993. We follow his life through a series of conversations with other gay men, all taking place in a public toilet from the day he shaves his head to… the final bathroom. The show depicts racially sensitive subject matter, homophobia and violence (Jess Tucker Boyd as fight director). Some of the conversations are up for interpretation with regards to the takeaway message.

The audience enter to the sounds of a dripping echoey lavatory (David Segun Olowu). The room is plunged into darkness as startling punk music clangs around the intimate Finborough Theatre, with the audience sat on three sides. Lights up on Nicky with shaving foam on his head. Written by Harry McDonald and directed by Mathew Lliffe, Foam is an intense, cerebral and provocative examination of the dichotomous person that was Nicky Crane. The conversations are wide ranging; confrontational, sexually charged and also humorous as Nicky tries to connect with other queer men through the changing eras of the punk and gay clubbing scene.

The set is evocative and timeless with its industrial white tiled walls, blurry mirrors and fixtures of a public convenience (Nitin Parmar). It is lit with atmospheric colours and makes use of the glazed windows above and light seeping through the centre stage cubical. Colours creep into scenes slowly, before you notice the ‘rosey tint’ of Nicky’s memories (Jonathan Chan).

“Walker multi-roles these characters with tension and levity opposite Richards who is terrifying and desperate

McDonald takes artistic license as Nicky Crane (Jake Richards) meets Mosely (Matthew Baldwin), fascism incarnate, who seduces Nicky in more ways than one. Baldwin is electric and commanding whilst Richards is an unsure but intrigued teenager. Whilst gripping and absorbing, the blurring of homosexual awakening and right-wing radicalisation could be considered an unfair comparison, but others may read into the scene differently. Later on, we meet characters who seem attracted to Nicky’s ‘look’ in the form of Gabriel and Christopher (Kishore Walker) who display a nonchalant attitude to his skinhead identity. The play presents affronting examination of LGBTQ individuals who tolerate and entertain the hypocrisy of Nicky, even liking what he represents. Nicky can only exist as a Nazi if there are other gay people who choose to ignore or fetishise his tattoos and worldview. Walker multi-roles these characters with tension and levity opposite Richards who is terrifying and desperate.

A scene that provokes interrogation is that of Bird (Keanu Adolphus Johnson), a black gay man who Nicky corners in a club bathroom. The two men discuss Nicky’s crimes, which were unmentioned until this point, his targets including a nine year old. This is the only time Nicky and the audience is confronted with an overt rejection of right wing extremism and the impact of his crimes on victims, which bares noting. Johnson presents Bird as strong and secure in his queerness and in his rejection of Nicky in a powerful argument. The bravery of Bird is admirable, but potentially defangs the stakes of what Nicky represents. The final scene brings back Baldwin as Craig, a kind loving figure, starkly different to Mosely.

Foam tackles Crane’s life with depth and precision. In a story about neo-Nazis and hypocrisy, there was less focus on the consequences of his hate crimes and more on his strange double life and the people that populated it. The execution of the story is fascinating and the reflection on the punk and queer scene of the time is illuminating. The cast were superb and transfixing under Lliffe’s direction. Nicky Crane was a real man who committed hate crimes. There remains some discussion to be had about what the show was trying to say, and who got to say it. But It is clear that the play definitely invites these important conversations.

 


FOAM at the Finborough Theatre

Reviewed on 4th April 2024

by Jessica Potts

Photography by Craig Fuller

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

JAB | ★★★★ | February 2024
THE WIND AND THE RAIN | ★★★ | July 2023
SALT-WATER MOON | ★★★★ | January 2023
PENNYROYAL | ★★★★ | July 2022
THE STRAW CHAIR | ★★★ | April 2022
THE SUGAR HOUSE | ★★★★ | November 2021

FOAM

FOAM

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

 

SHIFTERS

★★★★

Bush Theatre

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SHIFTERS at the Bush Theatre

★★★★

“There are some lines of devastating simplicity that do a huge amount of emotional heavy lifting, showing off Lombe’s accomplishment and skill”

This hugely charismatic commission from the Bush Theatre toys and teases audiences’ hearts, not least down to the sparkling performances from actors Tosin Cole and Heather Agyepong. In many ways, this is a classic tale of young love being overtaken by other events in a similar model to Constellations, but writer Benedict Lombe adds depth through sensitive handling of grief, race, and the choices that push people apart.

Dre (credited as short for Dream – Cole) and Des (Destiny – Agyepong) have much in common. We meet them as 32 year olds, reunited after years apart, before tracking back to them first colliding as teenagers. Both are displaced from South London to an unnamed regional town where they are two of the few Black kids in their school. Dre drags Des into debate club, setting up their dialogues for the rest of the piece which encompass discussions on the nature of first love, the possibility of alternative worlds and free will, and the baggage from their families which is both a privilege and a burden.

Their conversations are sharp, filled with jousts and barbs, always managing to find an angle against each other to explore. Lombe’s script is packed, the quips constantly keeping up the pace, though in the final third more space is left around the text, allowing moments of silence and reflection before another sharp comment moves the scene along again. There are some lines of devastating simplicity that do a huge amount of emotional heavy lifting, showing off Lombe’s accomplishment and skill.

The direction of Lynette Linton is largely playful and naturalistic. The opening scenes are played for comedy, Agyepong doing an impeccable bit with her mouth full of puff puffs (or beignets, depending on who you’re asking). In more significant moments, small physical movements become imbued with meaning which becomes clearer as they are replayed time and time again: this emphasises the dizziness and entrapment of strong memories.

“Cole and Agyepong have real acting pedigree”

Staging is simple, bars of neon light framing a traverse stage which is empty except for four small black boxes ordered neatly at the edge. As the piece progresses, more of these boxes are introduced, an effective physical reminder of the clutter of memories. Lighting (Neil Austin) switches colours to indicate scene and timeline changes, then flickers subtly through the final scenes as tension comes to a head. Music effects are used well to recall tinny playbacks of old tracks on old phones, but when used as transition the balance is sometimes off, with it overwhelming the first few lines of speech.

Cole and Agyepong have real acting pedigree, and move around the stage freely, whether acting out teenage cringiness, or circulating each other as they explore what is beyond friendship. The magnetism of their connection feels inescapable from the off, and it is impossible to not root for them individually and together. They also do excellent impressions of the offstage characters, who never appear in their own right but have huge influence over Des and Dre.

The ambiguous ending felt appropriate and a sophisticated choice, though the denouement overall felt a little rushed. Maybe that was the point, that consequences can hinge on tiny sentences said or unsaid, especially when one character’s opportunity to move away intersects with another’s fear of abandonment. Still, with neither character having many palpable flaws it was hard to believe that this was all it took for the relationship to fall apart.

This aside, Shifters is a deeply perceptive sophomore piece from an undeniably talented writer, lovingly acted by the superb Cole and Agyepong.


SHIFTERS at the Bush Theatre

Reviewed on 23rd February 2024

by Rosie Thomas

Photography by Craig Fuller

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ELEPHANT | ★★★★★ | October 2023
RED PITCH | ★★★★ | September 2023
PARADISE NOW! | ★★★★★ | December 2022
THE P WORD | ★★★ | September 2022
FAVOUR | ★★★★ | June 2022
LAVA | ★★★★ | July 2021

SHIFTERS

SHIFTERS

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page