Tag Archives: Dominic Kennedy

Pickle Jar – 5 Stars

Pickle Jar

Pickle Jar

Soho Theatre

Reviewed – 26th October 2018

★★★★★

“the characters, despite being created only through shifts in Rice’s voice and posture, are three-dimensional and complex”

 

In what presents as a comedy monologue, but quickly evolves into a troubling modern tale, Maddie Rice writes and performs the part of Miss, a well-meaning and slightly prudish teacher. At school, Miss fills the traditional role of a stable, sexless mentor to her precocious charges while in her private life she is between relationships and desperately at sea amid the dangers of urban dating. The comic potential of two worlds in conflict is successfully mined for the first half, as Rice skilfully conjures a recognisable collection of characters.

Then, just as we wonder where all this is going, a tragic event at school triggers Miss to begin to unravel. Fighting off the intrusive concern of the school’s councillor, Laura, with her wheedling voice and mindfulness techniques, Miss hits the Pina Coladas and revisits the nightclub where she had experienced an assault at the hands of a colleague, about which she had been silent.

Several details elevate the showcase above the usual wry look at modern life. The direction by Katie Pesskin is crisp, with smart use of lighting (Mark Dymock) and sound (Dominic Kennedy). The script is genuinely funny and the characters, despite being created only through shifts in Rice’s voice and posture, are three-dimensional and complex, from handsome food-tech teacher Eric and jolly but morally bereft flatmate Mairead, to charming Raj at the corner shop and an array of street-wise pupils.

Although this is her writing debut, Rice is an accomplished performer having toured in the stage version of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s ‘Fleabag’ and played various parts in Comedy Central’s ‘Every Blank Ever’. Her role in ‘Fleabag’ provides a jumping off point for the character of Miss, but here the bawdy Saturday Night style is mellowed by an emotional authenticity and pin sharp observation. For example, the simple set (Ben Target and Tom Hartshorne) features two mounds and a sapling to represent the place in a school playing field where the girls have their heart-to-hearts. In the script, too, character is never sacrificed for easy laughs. When Miss admits that it’s high time she bought toilet rolls, kitchen rolls and sausage rolls for the flat, we realise it’s because Mairead has been excusing her these duties, exposing both the flatmate’s softer side and the extent of Miss’s fragility.

All this gives a powerful sense of reality to the show’s narrative and themes, but as serious as these are, the comedy never goes cold. Brilliant writing and performance are vital to pull of this balancing act and this one woman show gives us both barrels.

 

Reviewed by Dominic Gettins

Photography by Ali Wright

 


Pickle Jar

Soho Theatre until 10th November

 

Previously reviewed at this theatre:
Denim: World Tour | ★★★★★ | January 2018
Dust | ★★★★★ | February 2018
Francesco de Carlo: Comfort Zone | ★★★★ | May 2018
Great British Mysteries | ★★★½ | May 2018
Sarah Kendall: One-Seventeen | ★★★★ | May 2018
Sugar Baby | ★★★★ | May 2018
Flesh & Bone | ★★★★★ | July 2018
There but for the Grace of God (Go I) | ★★★★ | August 2018
Fabric | ★★★★ | September 2018
The Political History of Smack and Crack | ★★★★ | September 2018

 

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

 

 

Reared – 3 Stars

Reared

Reared

Theatre503

Reviewed – 10th April 2018

★★★

“too much disparity of genres detracts from a powerful drama”

 

At a time when families are being forced to remodel, adapting to the shifting face of politics and economics, ‘Reared’ tells of intergenerational conflict and how, in spite of the struggle to balance the weight of the past with the prospect of the future, it has its rewards. Eileen is juggling preparations for a new baby, a mother-in-law with signs of dementia, a headstrong teenage daughter and a husband who seems unaware of the implications of all this. It explores the complexity of close-knit relationships, what is passed down and what is obscured – the told and the untold – and unpicks secrets which shed a new light on situations.

The Irish touch gives a poignancy to the importance of women in the household and the painful yet inevitable moment when the roles are reversed. John Fitzpatrick’s writing brings all these ideas together in a work which is dramatic, funny, sentimental and, occasionally, almost farcical.

The initiative by ‘bold & saucy theatre’ of a female-led company has created a well-balanced cast, each woman illustrating the particular strengths and weaknesses of her age, with sympathetic supporting male characters. Shelley Atkinson as Eileen depicts the fortitude of the ‘sandwich generation’, coping with both parents and children, and skilfully shows her ability to be caring, practical and vulnerable. The sensitive subject of dementia is successfully reflected in Paddy Glynn’s performance as Nora, flitting between moments of confusion and lucidity, clinging on to her matriarchal status. Caitlin, excellently portrayed by Danielle Philips, represents the dilemmas and pressures of the young along with her friend, Colin (Rohan Nedd), who we warm to as he clumsily tries to do the right thing in an entanglement beyond his maturity. Daniel Crossley plays a likeable Stuart who appears distracted from reality, busying himself with useful jobs around the house.

The homely familiarity of the detailed set (Sammy Dowson) and the proximity of the audience to the stage increase the involvement with the actors. Jamie Platt’s lighting design and the sound by Dominic Kennedy add colour to the action, giving a quasi cinematic feel to the changes of scene. Sarah Davey-Hull’s mindful direction produces some intense and touching scenes – Eileen and Caitlin’s moving conversation, Nora’s developing dementia or Colin’s awkward eagerness – but it is difficult to coherently follow through so many threads of a story in ninety minutes.

‘Reared’ alludes to many social issues but the inclusion of such a quantity of relevant material means that we lose the depth of any one narrative. There is an overall sense of unevenness in the script and oddly discordant reactions at some key moments; seeds are sown and picked up later rather than unfolding, certain personal insights come across as light-hearted asides and a couple of build-ups of tension are left in the air. A contrast of emotions is always stimulating in the theatre but too much disparity of genres detracts from a powerful drama.

 

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

Photography by The Other Richard

 


Reared

Theatre503 until 28th April

 

 

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