Tag Archives: Drayton Arms Theatre

(No) Leaves On My Precious Self – 2 Stars

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Precious

(No) Leaves On My Precious Self

Drayton Arms Theatre

Reviewed – 1st July 2018

★★

“has the potential to be hugely relatable, poignant and empowering”

 

From the moment she was a tree in the school play, Kate Fabray knew that she wanted to perform, to recreate this “God-like, uncrushable tree feeling”, to inhabit again and again “the magical state of becoming someone else.” But this is not an easy industry and this performance unpacks its trials, its unforgiving nature and its impact on Fabray’s own sense of self-worth through dance, musical theatre and monologue.

The piece is beautifully written, the language frequently verging on poetic, and many important and valid comments are made regarding an industry that is so frequently glamourised unrealistically by the media. This is Fabray’s playwriting debut and her writing talent is clear and unquestionable, her use of language delicate, tender and playful.

The final realisation, that in fact it is all worth it, is accompanied by a narrative of self-empowerment and a resolution to no longer put her self worth into the hands of others. Certainly an admirable ethos to end on and more time spent exploring this would ensure that the piece is more balanced. In its current form it risks coming across as a bit of a pity demanding rant. A more balanced approach would ensure that Fabray’s discussion of the industry translates as well as it deserves to, because it certainly has the potential to be hugely relatable, poignant and empowering.

One of Fabray’s main complaints about the industry, is that this is not an industry where talent or hard work is any guarantee of success. Luck and nepotism famously play huge parts. Unfortunately, this point is somewhat undermined by her own inability. She is vocally weak, frequently out of tune and vehemently overacting, gesturing to the sky with arms wide at multiple points. Her dancing and her acting are stronger than her singing, but ultimately the strength of this piece lies in its writing rather than its performance.

This is a beautiful piece of writing that certainly makes some valid points about the industry but the weakness of its execution undermines much of the piece’s substance.

 

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

 


(No) Leaves On My Precious Self

Drayton Arms Theatre

 

Related
Previously reviewed at this venue
Are There Female Gorillas? | ★★★★ | April 2018
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | ★★★★ | May 2018

 

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Are There Female Gorillas? – 4 Stars

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Gorillas

Are There Female Gorillas?

Drayton Arms Theatre

Reviewed – 29th April 2018

★★★★

“a creative and thought provoking response to a topical debate”

 

Girl and Gorilla share a stage. Girl is wearing black lingerie, stockings and suspenders. Girl waxes her legs, then epilates them, then holds a magnifying glass to them and tweezers out any remaining hairs. Gorilla sleeps, until she wakes up to Girl trying to cut her fur off with nail scissors. The pair are handcuffed together.

This is a creative exploration into attitudes to standards of beauty and femininity, and specifically the effect of societal pressure on people’s relationship to their own body hair. In a world where hair and femininity are often posed as dichotomous to each other, how do we know what choices are actually our own, the piece asks, and is it okay if we bow to other’s expectations if it makes us feel better about ourselves?

The play is beautifully written and well-crafted, smattered with outbreaks of spoken word and facts about female gorillas – did you know that male gorillas are called “silverbacks” but female gorillas do not have a gender specific name? It is a conceptually clever approach to an issue that affects so many people, and discusses the many facets of the debate in a creative way. It is funny and moving in equal measure, as dance scenes are followed by intimate and tender moments between the pair.

Sophie Ablett who plays Girl has a fantastic presence to her performance. Her struggle is immediately relatable and she communicates it expressively with a clown-like playfulness and infectious energy. Grace Strickland de Souza’s Gorilla has a childlike likeability but she feels weaker onstage, though the pair compliment each other well. There are a few moments where the point feels overly laboured, but predominantly the piece strikes a really strong balance between didactic and entertaining.

‘Are There Female Gorillas?’ is a creative and thought provoking response to a topical debate, and is a beautifully crafted piece of theatre.

 

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

 


Are There Female Gorillas?

Drayton Arms Theatre

 

 

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