“an incredibly honest depiction of 21st century dating in a city such as London“
As part of the Camden Fringe Festival, Rachel Salisbury stars in her own original work, To the Moon …and Back …and Back… whereby she explores the minefield of dating in the 21st century. The play centres on a time earlier this year when Salisbury went viral with a post she wrote on her Facebook page advertising for a boyfriend. She recounts the surreal experience as part of an anthology of disappointing dating experiences throughout her life, starting from her teenage obsession with Romeo as well as a whole host of other unattainable literary romantic figures.
Having anything in your seemingly private online sphere becoming viral overnight would be overwhelming for anyone, and it is admirable that Salisbury attempts to reclaim her side of the story throughout the piece. As the articles surrounding her online predicament broke less than three months ago, it is quite a feat to have created such a polished performance in a short space of time. However, whilst Salisbury attempts to shine a light on the various ways in which modern dating culture can often lead to immense vulnerability, there did not seem to be a clear direction to the narrative as a whole. There was an incredible emphasis on the trials and tribulations of being a hopeless romantic but no exploration of life outside of being almost obsessed with finding the “one.”
One of the highlights of the piece was the staging choices, particularly the heavy symbolism laid upon the clothes which Salisbury wears one by one as she recounts a handful of her previous romantic encounters. It highlighted some of the absurdities we simply consider routine as part of the modern dating ritual. Although, whilst at times it felt incredibly relatable, it seemed the character Salisbury depicted on stage was often at times rather one-dimensional and therefore made it hard to empathise with her struggles.
To the Moon …and Back …and Back… whilst not particularly ground-breaking in its overall message, is most definitely an incredibly honest depiction of 21st century dating in a city such as London.
“a fun show on an interesting topic, although it lacked both the messages to be moving and the execution to be effective“
Nigel Osner presents nine individual characters as he sings, acts and performs poetry with the night interspersed with Osner’s conversational segways. The play focuses on the ageing figures and attempts to portray personal stories of being and becoming old. These personalities come through as our host dons simple costumes pre-placed on the small stage, all while the audience chuckles at rhyming jokes and knowing wit.
The nine personas don’t exactly run the gamut; sometimes ranging from a posh man in love with a young man to a regional man in love with a young woman to a posh (American) woman in love with two young men. There are sections not about love; one lady murders her travelling companion and another experiences the inevitable health issues which come with age – but the writing and performance leave even those episodes feeling more and more like the others. Consistent poetic and lyrical structures, not to mention the uniform backing track, allow each section to slouch into a differently-coloured version of the same message: I wish I wasn’t old.
Technically, Osner wasn’t quite as strong as this one-handed all singing, all acting, production demands. The generic accents were solid but sometimes lacked humanity. The singing was very passable but it may have been better if the warm-up had been done off-stage rather than in the first two numbers. That said, the poetry was entertaining and provided the real laughs for the show – there was giggling and energy as attendees learnt the pattern and began to preempt the second half to each couplet.
Unfortunately, due to its accidental autobiographical style and loose performance, the show often felt old itself. At times, it was less a tribute to old age and more a tribute to a retiring drama teacher, featuring said (much loved) drama teacher. The night didn’t drag as Osner’s cleverness and obvious enjoyment was entertaining but with the observations superficial and the high notes painful, this audience member couldn’t help thinking that it was time to clap and present Mr Osner with a bottle of wine and a collected works of Shakespeare.
This was a fun show on an interesting topic, although it lacked both the messages to be moving and the execution to be effective. What was left was a shaky show with just enough fun one-liners, funny twists, and witty verses to be energetically enjoyable and pleasantly amusing.
