Etcetera Theatre Archives - Page 7 of 22

Vice

Etcetera Theatre

Reviewed – 31st July 2019

★★½

“a wide-reaching play that has much to say about the world, but more than can be accomplished within its short length”

Any writer looking for dystopian inspiration can easily cherry-pick examples from the present day, something which can be seen in Vice’s opening film reel of horrors – featuring clips ranging from Tony Blair’s invasion of Iraq to the more recent Grenfell Tower fire. But choosing too many things to rail against is what lets down Vice, an ambitious play that attempts to marry the personal and the political, but which ends up feeling a little lacklustre.

Following its rather powerful cinematic opening, the show leads us into the lives of a band of characters in the year 2023, a “new world” filled with war and old-fashioned air raid sirens. Revolutionaries Patrycja (Clementina Allende Iriarte), Em (Beth Siddall), and Johnny (Dimitris Kafataris) are planning a kidnap. While on the other side of the spectrum, politician Wetherby (Liam Arnold) argues with his daughter Jayne (Georgia Hodgson) about the disappearance of her sister – an incident that tops his litany of rather clichéd scandals. The two storylines intersect against a backdrop of bombings and uncertainty as we uncover the motivations and regrets behind each group.

Written and directed by Matt Rolls, the show has its merits and the cast largely deliver good performances, most notably Siddall, but also Kafataris, whose character adds a small but welcome element of comic relief to otherwise serious scenes. However, a plot that starts out as intriguing cannot sustain itself and ultimately lets down the carefully curated wartime atmosphere of the first half. The ending seeks to neatly wrap up all threads, but in doing so, sadly renders many of the characters and themes introduced earlier on redundant.

The cast and creatives are all graduates and current students of East 15 Acting School and they work well together. There are some well executed group scenes, good costume and design, and some staging that – although it probably changes around more than necessary – sets the scene effectively. But Vice’s other creative elements are undermined by a script that could have been tighter. While the writing has moments of cleverness and there are some promising monologues, these feel badly wedged into the main plot. Many lines simply offer a stand-alone commentary on today’s society and have no need for the context of the play’s murky future. The play also relies too heavily on its headline concept of the “old world” and the “new world”, continuously shoving this down the audience’s throat, with overzealous references to these terms peppered throughout.

In the end, Vice is a wide-reaching play that has much to say about the world, but more than can be accomplished within its short length. The result is a work too bogged down with elevated concepts to deliver a satisfying story.

Reviewed by Vicky Richards

Photography by Matt Rolls

When it Happens

Etcetera Theatre until 4th August as part of Camden Fringe 2019

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Never Swim Alone | ★★★★ | November 2018

Jailbirds | ★★ | December 2018

The Very Well-Fed Caterpillar | ★★★★ | December 2018

Bricks of the Wall | ★ | January 2019

Past Perfect | ★★★★ | July 2019

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

★★★½

“Lacey and Sammons both acknowledged the significance of each word so the author’s themes could be truly heard”

The Wasp, by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm depicts the encounter of two old school mates as they are reunited for the first time in twenty years. These two friends could not be more different, yet a startling proposition bonds them once more as their fraught history resurfaces with serious repercussions.

Peppered Wit Productions took this ambitious play on with great confidence and control, not being intimidated by the density of it. As a two-hander both actresses, Joanne Sammons and Tara Lacey kept up their stamina and their energy buoyant throughout the ninety minute play. Barely leaving the stage, they were engaging and took the audience on a journey with them providing a believable performance with the characters developing well.

Malcolm’s writing at times can be curt and Pinteresque and then contrast with lengthy monologue type responses – this could easily be lost by actors with less understanding, yet Lacey and Sammons both acknowledged the significance of each word so the author’s themes could be truly heard.

Peppered Wit Productions is a self funded company, creating their work collectively. They are an example of what collaboration done well looks like. The set design and directorial choices were well placed and executed with quality and professionalism – all done on what one can only image to be a somewhat meagre budget. They are also dedicated to bring theatre to audiences far and wide, making it accessible to communities who are often marginalised and left on the outskirts of the theatrical world. This is a very commendable trait of this accomplished theatre troupe.

The Wasp is a tale of psychological turns and societal dichotomies. Malcolm asks questions about the inherent nature of violence within human beings, about nature vs nurture and how childhood is more than simply a time in our past but the foundation and catalyst to our future life choices – all of which was depicted with dexterity, humour and commitment.

Reviewed by Pippin

Photography courtesy Peppered Wit

Etcetera Theatre

Reviewed – 31st July 2019

★★½

“a wide-reaching play that has much to say about the world, but more than can be accomplished within its short length”

In the end, Vice is a wide-reaching play that has much to say about the world, but more than can be accomplished within its short length. The result is a work too bogged down with elevated concepts to deliver a satisfying story.

Reviewed by Vicky Richards

Photography by Matt Rolls

When it Happens

Etcetera Theatre until 4th August as part of Camden Fringe 2019

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Etcetera Theatre

Reviewed – 24th June 2019

★★★½

“Lacey and Sammons both acknowledged the significance of each word so the author’s themes could be truly heard”

The Wasp, by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm depicts the encounter of two old school mates as they are reunited for the first time in twenty years. These two friends could not be more different, yet a startling proposition bonds them once more as their fraught history resurfaces with serious repercussions.

Malcolm’s writing at times can be curt and Pinteresque and then contrast with lengthy monologue type responses – this could easily be lost by actors with less understanding, yet Lacey and Sammons both acknowledged the significance of each word so the author’s themes could be truly heard.

Reviewed by Pippin

Photography courtesy Peppered Wit

The Wasp

Etcetera Theatre ahead of Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: