Tag Archives: Created a Monster

Mortgage
★★★

Tristan Bates Theatre

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Mortgage

Mortgage

Tristan Bates Theatre

Reviewed – 15th April 2018

★★★

 

“bristling with a rottweiler-level energy, but is matched by a tone of unfocused anger and bitterness”

 

Mortgage is a challenging piece of theatre – in every sense of the word. This devised piece from the minds of the renowned David Glass Ensemble and Created a Monster (with writing also credited to David Glass) is itching to provoke some deeply pressing conversations, while also being too frustrating in its design to fully wrangle with its own thesis. As such, it presents itself as something unpolished and messy, but despite this there is an urgency and forcefulness to the show that holds you in an unforgiving vice grip.

At this point in the review I’d normally provide a brief plot synopsis, but it’s difficult to know where to even start with Mortgage. The show initially consists of two doctors in drag (François Testory and Simon Gleave) attempting to treat the eponymous Mortgage (Briony O’Callaghan) through a series of vignettes incorporating various forms of movement, violence, and magic, tonally feeling like grotesque versions of Monty Python sketches. This then somewhat clunkily segues into a huge and unnecessary exposition dump as Mortgage explains her backstory, which jars with what came before, and slows the momentum to a crawl by placing the focus on what happened instead of what’s going to happen until finally, we end up in another sketch of sorts that seemingly tirades against actors, theatres, and audiences. There’s very little cohesion between these moments and it’s never quite clear why they’re being presented on stage to us.

But one can’t help but wonder – was that the point? When the creatives involved are so esteemed, when the action on stage is so visually striking, when the performances are so vocally and physically committed, it’s easy to ponder whether the disjointed nature of events is founded in an intentional desire for theatremakers to spoon-feed less to the audience, and for the audience to infer their own meanings from the art they consume. Perhaps there is actually an undercurrent of genius to the madness.

Even if there were admirable intentions behind Mortgage, though, the execution of them feels unsatisfying. It’s bristling with a rottweiler-level energy, but is matched by a tone of unfocused anger and bitterness – if David Glass and the company were trying to say something, it isn’t said with any clarity, and is instead lost behind a mire of perplexing theatrical choices. You’re never quite certain what Mortgage is, who it’s for, or why it’s been made, and yet it will still manage to keep you captivated for its runtime – it’s a case of style over substance, but the style is present in droves.

Reviewed by Tom Francis

Photography by Gavin Maunsell

 

Mortgage

Tristan Bates Theatre until 20th April

 

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:
Echoes | ★★★★★ | August 2018
Love Lab | ★★★★ | August 2018
Butterfly Lovers | ★★ | September 2018
The Problem With Fletcher Mott | ★★★★ | September 2018
Sundowning | ★★★★ | October 2018
Drowned or Saved? | ★★★★ | November 2018
Me & My Left Ball | ★★★★ | January 2019
Nuns | ★★★ | January 2019
Classified | ★★★½ | March 2019
Oranges & Ink | ★★ | March 2019

 

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

 

Mortgage – 4 Stars

Reviews, , , , , , , ,

Mortgage

Mortgage

Omnibus Theatre

Reviewed – 30th March 2018

★★★★

“The three actors perform with unconditional energy and presence”

 

A powerful piece of theatre, ‘Mortgage’ has strangely misleading publicity which, consequently, leaves the audience in the odd situation of puzzling out the narrative of a brilliantly acted, directed and technically devised production. It is the centrepiece of ‘The DEvine Comedy Trilogy’ by David Glass, the first part being ‘Boredom’ and the third, ‘Heaven’. Abused and damaged, Stage Manager Mortgage has burned down the last theatre on Earth and is embarking on a painful healing process in an asylum, representing Purgatory. A collaboration between ‘Created a Monster’ and the ‘David Glass Ensemble’, the work combines physical theatre with inspiration from Artaud’s ‘Theatre of Cruelty’ to create a tragi-comedy about the will to overcome hopelessness and the inescapable relationship between destruction and creation. There is an underlying analogy to the struggle of the younger generation, often at the hands of their elders, to feel in control of their own lives and how this can lead to mental health issues, which in turn is managed by adults.

Briony O’Callaghan commands the stage as Mortgage, battling through sessions of therapy and medication, zigzagging from fits of hysteria to lucid memories of the past and trance-like resignation. Her doctors, François Testory and Simon Gleave produce a perfect balance of the unexpected, humour and intimidation. Their contrasting personalities are prominent from the beginning, even in their inextricably linked relationship – one, younger, bolder, more demonstrative and the other, older, more restrained, sharper. The three actors perform with unconditional energy and presence. From vivid movement, slow dance-like scenes, comic routines and cleverly formulated dialogue we are led from Mortgage’s agonising physical distress to her gradual, coherent reconstruction and regaining of hope.

On the technical side (Paul Micah) an interesting selection of music and sound fits beautifully with the contrasting moods of the play, calm moments of respite breaking up the emotional intensity and the lighting is inventive in its dramatic effects on an almost empty set. The intrigue of the costumes, the significance of which is revealed eventually, shows how the details are carefully chosen and designed.

The concept of Mortgage is much clearer after a post-performance chat with the cast (originally advertised as a panel discussion about mental health and loneliness in the younger generation) as they explain the background to the project – the motivation, the concept of the trilogy and the theme of this part, including the derivation of the name, Mortgage. In addition to this, the absence of credits on the programme suggests that it is a work in progress. However, that would be to undersell the inspirational direction of David Glass and the exciting and multi-layered quality of the show, performed with great artistry.

 

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

 

Omnibus Theatre

Mortgage

Omnibus Theatre

 

 

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