David Guest Archives - Page 10 of 20

Bible John

Forge – The Vaults

Reviewed – 14th February 2020

★★★★

“the raw energy and directness of These Girls in this original show guarantees a multi-layered and intensely nuanced performance piece”

Think crime and female sleuths and your minds will probably go to the likes of Miss Marple, Precious Ramotswe and Jessica Fletcher.

But in “Bible John,” an enjoyable and informative new show as part of the VAULT Festival, These Girls theatre company explain that many women today are hooked on true crime podcasts, with one group of female office workers turning detective to investigate a serial killer at work in 1960s Glasgow.

This is no mere “Murder, She Podcasted.” The play successfully treads a fine line between exploring the impact such an interest in grisly murders may have on its fans, with a deeper question about male violence against women and how society treats victims, and producing a funny and entertaining festival show.

Writer Caitlin McEwan, Renee Bailey, Carla Garratt and Louise Waller play the four ordinary temps who discover they share a morbid fascination with true crime, and with a podcast reinvestigating the Bible John murders by American journalist Carrie LaRue.

Unravelling the facts from the speculation they find this sharing of the story is cathartic and empowering, while also understanding that they need to recognise this isn’t a piece of crime fiction, but a case involving true life: “This is about real women’s lives, not a game of Sudoku!” says one as the girls ignore their work demands and instead journey down a rabbit hole in search of evidence and meaning.

On a plain stage with office chairs, a screen and just a few props the four performers, under the tight and bold direction of Lizzie Manwaring, ensure there is a palpable sense of rage and irritation which can only send audiences out thinking about general attitudes towards women and the dangers of obsession in any form.

The infectious buzz of the production is aided further by Laurie Ogden’s movement direction, which captures the liberation of women who just want to dance and the release of pent-up frustration.

Just as in the unsolved murders committed by Bible John 50 years ago, this show has no ending – other than to recognise that there is no ending, that things can’t be tied up neatly, and that there are still too many anonymous victims of male violence.

The final reminder of the victims’ names with their pictures on screen underlines the powerful point that all crime has victims who must never remain an anonymous part of a story. But the raw energy and directness of These Girls in this original show guarantees a multi-layered and intensely nuanced performance piece.

Reviewed by David Guest

Photography by Ali Wright

Click here to see all our reviews from VAULT Festival 2020

[ The Cobbled Streets of Geneva ]

Cage – The Vaults

Reviewed – 11th February 2020

★★★½

“a short, brave piece with an inclusivity and depth that lives up to a motto of, ‘Continuing to widen as we learn.’”

A tender and unexpected love story that crosses barriers and explores questions of image and identity is a fresh new offering that defies convention at the VAULT Festival.

“[ The Cobbled Streets of Geneva ]” is a gentle rom-com with a happy ending, yet it tackles issues not often seen portrayed on stage. The growing relationship between two Muslim men from differing backgrounds has a dangerous edge and, in Nemo Martin’s confident writing, challenges perceptions of religion, culture and lifestyle.

The unlikely relationship is kindled when the middle-aged hard-bitten bodyguard Adham (a perfectly nervous and cynical Ashley Alymann) encounters Raushan, a kindly Imam (a warm-hearted and affable Shiraz Khan) outside his Inclusive Mosque in North London and a platonic friendship begins.

We see nothing of the way this friendship grows over the couple of years between the opening scene and the next, which is a great shame as it would pave the way more clearly into the main story.

A demanding boss hopes to set Adham up on a date on a looming trip abroad, so in panic he invents a husband and asks Raushan if he will engage in some role play for the occasion.

The all-inclusive week’s holiday in the Swiss Alps provides the atmospheric backdrop to the queer romance, with both characters understanding more about themselves as well as about each other. The olde worlde charm of Geneva sits alongside its reputation as the Peace Capital and a centre for diplomacy as the pair grows closer.

Director Jo Tyabji never once misses the hope-filled possibilities of the play and the relationship it portrays. While so much around us concentrates on why things fail, Tyabji discovers the humour and romanc e in “a couple of old Muslims holding hands and dancing under the stars.”

A great early line sums up the nature of the piece as Raushan catches Adham staring at his face and asks what he’s seen, to be met with the response, “infuriating optimism.”

The square brackets around the title refer to captions on photos often used to help the visually impaired experience the full view and ambience of a given location. In describing what we see, the play suggests we experience it with greater intimacy.

The play does suffer in that it feels like something that was written to be longer, but which has been edited down to satisfy the time constraints of the VAULT Festival. This means there are several short cuts taken in character and plot development.

A more fully realised version will be all the more beautiful and welcome. For now, we have a short, brave piece with an inclusivity and depth that lives up to a motto of, ‘Continuing to widen as we learn.’

Reviewed by David Guest

Click here to see all our reviews from VAULT Festival 2020

Tag Archives: David Guest

Bible John

★★★★

VAULT Festival 2020

Forge – The Vaults

Reviewed – 14th February 2020

★★★★

“the raw energy and directness of These Girls in this original show guarantees a multi-layered and intensely nuanced performance piece”

Think crime and female sleuths and your minds will probably go to the likes of Miss Marple, Precious Ramotswe and Jessica Fletcher.

Writer Caitlin McEwan, Renee Bailey, Carla Garratt and Louise Waller play the four ordinary temps who discover they share a morbid fascination with true crime, and with a podcast reinvestigating the Bible John murders by American journalist Carrie LaRue.

The infectious buzz of the production is aided further by Laurie Ogden’s movement direction, which captures the liberation of women who just want to dance and the release of pent-up frustration.

Just as in the unsolved murders committed by Bible John 50 years ago, this show has no ending – other than to recognise that there is no ending, that things can’t be tied up neatly, and that there are still too many anonymous victims of male violence.

Reviewed by David Guest

Photography by Ali Wright

Click here to see all our reviews from VAULT Festival 2020

[The Cobbled Streets of Geneva]

★★★½

VAULT Festival 2020

Cage – The Vaults

Reviewed – 11th February 2020

★★★½

“a short, brave piece with an inclusivity and depth that lives up to a motto of, ‘Continuing to widen as we learn.’”

A tender and unexpected love story that crosses barriers and explores questions of image and identity is a fresh new offering that defies convention at the VAULT Festival.

The unlikely relationship is kindled when the middle-aged hard-bitten bodyguard Adham (a perfectly nervous and cynical Ashley Alymann) encounters Raushan, a kindly Imam (a warm-hearted and affable Shiraz Khan) outside his Inclusive Mosque in North London and a platonic friendship begins.

We see nothing of the way this friendship grows over the couple of years between the opening scene and the next, which is a great shame as it would pave the way more clearly into the main story.

A demanding boss hopes to set Adham up on a date on a looming trip abroad, so in panic he invents a husband and asks Raushan if he will engage in some role play for the occasion.

Director Jo Tyabji never once misses the hope-filled possibilities of the play and the relationship it portrays. While so much around us concentrates on why things fail, Tyabji discovers the humour and romanc e in “a couple of old Muslims holding hands and dancing under the stars.”

A great early line sums up the nature of the piece as Raushan catches Adham staring at his face and asks what he’s seen, to be met with the response, “infuriating optimism.”

The square brackets around the title refer to captions on photos often used to help the visually impaired experience the full view and ambience of a given location. In describing what we see, the play suggests we experience it with greater intimacy.

The play does suffer in that it feels like something that was written to be longer, but which has been edited down to satisfy the time constraints of the VAULT Festival. This means there are several short cuts taken in character and plot development.

A more fully realised version will be all the more beautiful and welcome. For now, we have a short, brave piece with an inclusivity and depth that lives up to a motto of, ‘Continuing to widen as we learn.’

Reviewed by David Guest

Click here to see all our reviews from VAULT Festival 2020