Tag Archives: Drayton Arms

DICK

★★★

Drayton Arms

DICK

Drayton Arms

★★★

“The dialogue throughout is intricate and precise”

Oh, to be young and free. To have one’s whole life ahead of you. Well, all is not as it seems. Dick is a powerful immersion into the dangerous desires of youth and the burden of potential – the idea that you could be anything, but will you be something?

Five friends reach the age of 26 and become afraid that ‘their youth’ may be behind them. No, not afraid, rather obsessed. Despite their obvious youth, they feel an urgency to push the boundaries without any caution and with dangerous consequences. The show is an exploration of love, lust and the unexpected precariousness of self-indulgence.

We start with the friends dancing in a nightclub. The mood is euphoric and joyous. We quickly move to a heated discussion about their differing views on sex. This is where our central characters emerge. The protagonist of the show, Noah, is remarkably condescending and masquerades his ignorance as intelligence. He insists on being right and ensures he is by interrupting those who disagree and hides his insecurity by living in the hypothetical rather than reality. Joseph Lynch is very impressive in the role.

The others emerge in this debate too. Bailey is quieter but the fire within their soul is unmistakeable. Andi Bickers is an unstoppable force in the role. Ruby (Frederick Russell) is vibrant and vivacious and provides the necessary antidote to Noah. Our remaining two characters are Ruby’s sister, Cleo (Nina Fidderman), and friend River (Max Brennan), who allow us to see the story through other perspectives.

The dialogue throughout is intricate and precise, which allows us to see a range of angles on the key themes. However, it is slightly too detailed. Because of this it feels like the punchlines don’t always land, and in fact, it often feels like the most action is happening when there is the least talking.

Significant plot events are marked by live costume changes. This is a smart addition as otherwise the scene changes would be sudden and unobvious. Credit must go to Katie Shores (costume design) as this forms a critical driver of the plot. The friends start the show wearing bright clothes but move to more greyscale outfits as the scenes darken.

Initially, it seems that Noah will be our martyr for the cause of hedonism and soul-searching. Of course, he would like it to be him. “I would die if I thought I would get away with it,” he tells us. But the show is not just an exploration of one’s own path to self-destruction. It is a warning about the effects that one’s self-indulgence can have on others, who often end up with greater suffering. “You are addicted to poison, and it comes out of your mouth,” Bailey tells Noah. This is the punchline that the show does manage to land, and the production makes great use of audio (Polly Dacam) and visual effects (Harriet White) to do this. 

The development of the characters of Noah, Ruby and Bailey is excellent. However, it feels like five characters may be too many for this story. Max Brennan and Nina Fidderman are exceptionally composed and accurate as River and Cleo respectively. However, we don’t see enough of them, and their performances deserve a greater part of the story. Moreover the show is too long, with the length not commensurate to the amount of plot that we watch.

However, the critical element of this show is not its shortfalls in areas of the drama. It is what it warns us about, the real experiences of young people and the dangers of over-indulgence.

 



DICK

Drayton Arms

Reviewed on 17th April 2025

by Luke Goscomb

Photography by Abigail Dawn

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

SARAH QUAND MÊME | | February 2024

 

 

DICK

DICK

DICK

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – 4 Stars

Spelling

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Drayton Arms

Reviewed – 31st May 2018

★★★★

“The cast were superb, with the quality of sound leaving a lasting impression after the show was through”

 

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is a musical mouthful to explain to your friends, but it delivers the plot of this 2005 Broadway musical succinctly and accurately. The story follows the fortunes of six students in their local final of the all-American tradition of the Spelling Bee, each with a good shot at winning and with their own story to tell of how they got there.

What sets this musical apart is its use of audience participation, inviting four audience members up onto stage in Act One to also take part as finalists. Watching each audience member attempt to spell with varying levels of willingness and success was very entertaining, and the novelty and improvised nature in the early rounds stove off any doldrum due to the repetitive nature of the Spelling Bee, keeping it entertaining for longer than would have been possible without it.

The songs giving insight to each character’s life, rather than necessarily moving the plot along, become more tiresome in the second half when the contest becomes a simple whittling down to find the winner. I found the building blocks of the show including plot, music and lyrics to be unimaginative, and was surprised to learn that the original Broadway production earnt a Tony award for Best Book of a Musical. However, the piece was produced and performed with such enjoyment that I couldn’t help but enjoy it myself.

The cast were superb, with the quality of sound leaving a lasting impression after the show was through. Elizabeth Chadwick as the Bee’s facilitator, Rona Lisa Peretti, has a stunningly crystal clear voice, and masterfully guides the action with it. The actors portrayals are also acutely funny, with Michael Watson-Gray as Douglas Panch, the slightly unstable school Vice Principal using each of the required spelling words in wickedly funny sentences. TJ Lloyd as William Barfee and Jeannie May as Marcy Park also had great humour in students who were confidently unphased by the event others were so eager about.

Set design by Victoria Francis is impressive, turning the small studio space of the Drayton Arms Theatre into a miniature school gym with letters littered across the stage, stickered on the floor walls and chairs of the gym. Similarly the choreography by Adam Haigh did well to liven up the action within such tight constraints.

With the components given, this show could have been a drag. But with such joy, care and attention applied by all involved, it instead brightened up my evening.

 

Reviewed by Amber Woodward

Photography by Alex Harvey-Brown

 


The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Drayton Arms until 16th June

 

Related
Previously reviewed at this venue
Are There Female Gorillas? | ★★★★ | April 2018

 

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