★★★½

“Atim and Akuwudike particularly stand out as being well cast and effortlessly engaging”

Set against the dark, urban landscape of modern-day Los Angeles, ‘Time is Love’ is Chè Walker’s new play making its British premiere this year at the ever-intriguing and inventive Finborough Theatre. It’s a tense, urban noir, swerving in and out of lap dancers’ dressing rooms, brothels and police interrogation rooms, making effective use of video and an edgy, percussive score by Olivier award-winning Sheila Atim (who also stars).

Flicking between 2016 and 2019, we are made aware of an impending “catastrophe” by narrator-cum-prostitute Serena (Sasha Frost) that will rock the lives and of Blaz (Gabriel Akuwudike) and his long-term girlfriend Havana (Jessica Ledon). Back in 2016, Blaz is imprisoned for three years, taking the fall for childhood friend and partner-in-crime Karl (Benjamin Cawley). In the three years that follow, Karl and Havana jostle for Blaz’s heart, with Havana ‘playing away from home’ with crooked cop Seamus (Cary Crankson). Sheila Atim’s lap-dancer Rosa offers comfort and wisdom through the smog.

Filled with excellent acting, the ensemble’s characterisations create a convincing image of the Los Angeles underworld. Atim and Akuwudike particularly stand out as being well cast and effortlessly engaging. However, the production has some failings that centre around Walker’s script and direction. A large white screen plays canvas to filmed footage that underscores most scenes, but too often the footage simply shows us the action of the scene ‘on location’ and can be distracting. More interesting is when we see Havana enact violent revenge on an unsuspecting lap-dancer. When film shows us something we cannot see on stage, it really proves its worth.

Too many scenes are created by two characters entering a space and talking. This sometimes works, but with a script littered with lengthy, exposition-heavy monologues, it is easy to lose interest. Walker has a unique take on a classic tale of betrayal, and the world he creates is certainly intriguing, but the focus seems uncertain at times. Los Angeles is a patchwork of people and stories, but we need more as an audience to find these disparate characters worth our time.

Overall, Walker has gathered a stunning ensemble and built a convincing, urban world on stage, but currently it just falls short of being brilliant.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by DWGH Photos

Jeannie

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed – 29th November 2018

★★★★

“The dialogue is light and witty and handled skilfully by the cast, whilst the story has enough twists to keep the audience invested”

Jeannie is the new production at Finborough Theatre – except it isn’t new at all, because Aimée Stuart’s play about a humble Scotswoman experiencing life for the first time premiered almost eighty years ago, in February 1940. Sadly, Stuart’s numerous plays, books and screenplays remain forgotten, despite her five decades worth of output. This revival succeeds, not only in celebrating her work, but in creating a refined production of her sweet and enchanting play.

Jeannie McLean has devoted her whole life to her parents, first as her mother’s companion, then as her widowed father’s carer. When she receives an inheritance of £200, she decides to leave the small Scottish town of her birth and travel to Vienna, home of her favourite song – the Blue Danube Waltz – and undiscovered possibilities. But, whilst Jeannie might be able to hold her own, independence is not as easy as it seems.

Despite its old-fashioned aura, Jeannie feels more like a classic Hollywood movie than a forgotten relic. The dialogue is light and witty and handled skilfully by the cast, whilst the story has enough twists to keep the audience invested. At its heart, it is a story about a woman who continually triumphs over adversity. Jeannie may be naïve, but she is strong-willed, dignified, and does not rely on others. When Stanley Smith, an inventor who she meets on her way to Vienna, offers to buy her dinner, she insists on paying her share. When he asks why she is single, she replies that it’s because men ‘have bad taste’. Jeannie can easily stand shoulder to shoulder, not only with her male companions, but with the quintessential strong female characters of the era. Now, Voyager’s Charlotte Vale could have learnt a thing or two from Jeannie McLean.

The show benefits from an excellent cast. Mairi Hawthorn brings Jeannie to life with subtly and humour: her nuanced performance reveals Jeannie’s hidden depths and endears her to the audience from the very beginning. Her chemistry with Matthew Mellalieu (whose down-to-earth Stanley Smith perfectly balances our Jeannie’s innocence) ensures that their scenes together are the most enjoyable of the show. Kim Durham also stands out in his brief yet memorable performance as Jeannie’s curmudgeonly father. In addition to their acting duties, the cast also have to deal with a number of set changes. These are handled well, though designer James Helps’ attention to detail can make them a little overlong, and can pull us out of the world that the cast have worked so hard to create. That being said, the set pieces are impressive and help transform the small, plain space of the Finborough beyond recognition.

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed – 4th January 2019

★★★½

“Atim and Akuwudike particularly stand out as being well cast and effortlessly engaging”

Overall, Walker has gathered a stunning ensemble and built a convincing, urban world on stage, but currently it just falls short of being brilliant.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by DWGH Photos

Time is Love

Finborough Theatre until 26th January

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed – 29th November 2018

★★★★

“The dialogue is light and witty and handled skilfully by the cast, whilst the story has enough twists to keep the audience invested”

Whilst not a story that will break new ground, Jeannie is witty and spirited, with a kind of nostalgic charm that makes it an ideal form of escapism.

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

Photography by Ali Wright

Jeannie

Finborough Theatre until 22nd December

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

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