Ethan Doyle Archives - Page 14 of 19

Forbidden Stories

Rich Mix

Reviewed – 9th November 2019

★★

“too leaden by weak performances and an uninspired realisation to feel meaningfully affecting”

Ask any Brit born after 1990 about conflict between Greeks and Turks in Cyprus and they’d probably be fairly clueless. Thankfully, Forbidden Stories is here to shine a light on this oft-neglected time in history, although the light it shines is frequently murky and emotionally unengaging.

Incorporating a myriad of multimedia aspects, Forbidden Stories seeks to give voice to the everyday Greek and Turkish Cypriots whose lives were overturned by political game-playing and hatemongering. The stories being told by the four-strong cast chart the history of the conflict and attempts at reunification, supplemented by the likes of shadowplay and live video, describing how lives were uprooted, people were forced into situations they would come to regret for the rest of their days, and the little victories they were able to claim, such as misfiring mortars resulting in a huge haul of fish to eat.

The variety of the of the tales on offer is undermined by the delivery however; they are pretty much all performed as monologues, which feels like a terrible waste of the three other actors that could’ve been utilised, and of the opportunity to depict these stories is a truly theatrical way, and the use of multimedia elements feels underwhelming compared to the squandered potential. The tonal inconsistencies between the actors also did a disservice to the stories – where one portrayed a prisoner of war guard with a guttural drive, another delivered her scenes with the emotional attachment of a newsreader, while another may well have accidentally wandered onto the set from a children’s show given the hyper-exaggerated facial expressions she was pulling.

The real core of Forbidden Stories is the content of the stories being told, however, which have been adapted from interviews with Greek and Turkish Cypriots by the Ludens Ensemble, and explore a number of thought-provoking and harrowing concepts, such as how each portrays themselves and the opposing side in their own versions of history, and the kinds of acts that the conflict incited. That said, this depiction of those stories is too leaden by weak performances and an uninspired realisation to feel meaningfully affecting.

Reviewed by Ethan Doyle

Forbidden Stories

Rich Mix as part of Voila! Europe 2019

Last ten shows reviewed by Ethan Doyle:

No One Likes Us | ★★★ | Hen & Chickens Theatre | August 2019

Scenic Reality | ★ | Hen & Chickens Theatre | August 2019

The Parentheticals: Improdyssey | ★★★★ | Etcetera Theatre | August 2019

Falsettos | ★★½ | The Other Palace | September 2019

Gastronomic | ★★★★★ | Shoreditch Town Hall | September 2019

A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg | ★★ | Trafalgar Studios | October 2019

Irish Coffee | ★★ | Calder Bookshop & Theatre | October 2019

Tick, Tick… BOOM! | ★★★★ | Bridge House Theatre | October 2019

Variant 31 | ★★★½ | Space 18 | October 2019

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change | ★★★★ | Chiswick Playhouse | November 2019

Click here to see our most recent reviews

★★★½

“The comedic abilities of all three actors are phenomenal, finding potential for laughs in every moment”

When you think of stories that are ripe for a clowning-focused, fourth wall-breaking retelling, perhaps Tolstoy’s tragedy Anna Karenina doesn’t spring to mind. But for The Pushkinettes it did, and we should all be very grateful that it did because We Must Live is an absolute treat.

Formed of French, Israeli and Estonian performers, We Must Live sees these three clowns re-enact Anna Karenina ostensibly very seriously, although the knowing smirks that emerge when the audience starts laughing at the mishaps that befall the actors during their performance reveals this to be a gleefully light-hearted exploration of Anna Karenina’s themes of femininity, love, and sexuality through much more comic means, especially as the real-life worlds of the actors start to spill out into the performance.

The comedic abilities of all three actors are phenomenal, finding potential for laughs in every moment, while all having distinct personalities that shine through and make for engaging inter-relationships between them, and a hilarious clash of egos. One instance sees Anna’s soliloquy about Anna’s sexual liberation interrupted so that one actor can present a piece in which she emerges from a bin bag like a chick breaking out of its egg, accompanied by all manner of instruments. Another sees Anna’s journey through the snow turn into a snowball fight comprised of white Primark socks.

Parts such as this where it feels like the show is being derailed in the spur of the moment and you see the actors delight in the chaos they’ve discovered are absolutely glorious and create an atmosphere of pandemonium, albeit one that you feel the performers are in total control of, which makes it all the more delectable. Certain beats feel like they’re milked a little bit too much, and the opening few scenes lacked the freshness that the rest of the show possesses, but We Must Live is mostly a must-see.

Reviewed by Ethan Doyle