Tag Archives: Hen and Chickens Theatre

The Dysfunckshonalz!
★★★★★

Hen and Chickens Theatre

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The Dysfunckshonalz!

The Dysfunckshonalz!

Hen and Chickens Theatre

Reviewed – 28th May 2019

★★★★★

 

“challenging and clever … while being fun, funny and downright exhilarating …”

 

Punk isn’t dead. And, if it is, then the body still smells. That smell is tHe dYsFUnCKshOnalZ! – coming up through the floorboards and still offending, still challenging but somehow thought-provoking. The play, written by Mike Packer and directed by Steve Thompson has all of that punk spirit but takes advantage of the time passed and the theatrical format. The delivery is a moving and hilarious story of a band coming back together so they can sell out to corporate America.

Packer has written a deeply challenging and cryptically sincere play that drives the audience through the late lives of four estranged bandmates, skewered together by the offer of hundreds of thousands of pounds from an American credit card company for their song to be in an advert. Billy, the band’s lead singer, disappears after a mysterious event in Copenhagen but each of the band’s members grows into a complicated, meaningful and developed character. The show rises and crescendos with clever themes about capitalism, integrity and death served to the audience enciphered as offensive and simple-seeming punk rock behaviour. Despite the shouting and screaming which sets a world record for fucks and shits and the awesomely loud on stage punk performances, the show whispers its ideas and never thrusts them on a single audience member.

The direction from Thompson is superb as the actors navigate a tight space at the Hen and Chickens Theatre. The music and on-stage band are weaved nicely to create a real sense of the punk in each set change, each prop and the stubborn refusal to turn anything down for an older, more mature, Islington audience. With the script setting each scene well, the musical instruments in the back of each conversation give a sense of thematic space rather than a physical location.

The acting was fantastic with Danny Swanson leading the way as Billy Abortion but others in the cast giving equally comprehensive and intense performances. Swanson finds the paradoxes in Billy the washed-up lead singer but somehow resolves them with clarity – his erratic and destructive behaviour end up enigmatically making total sense. As the evening progresses, Emily Fairman as Louise Gash delivers emotional depths that are best experienced in person, not through a review.

tHe dYsFUnCKshOnalZ! Is not to be underestimated. Although it pays homage to a genre of the past, the production is entirely of the present. Its questions, anxieties and characters make sense in our world of ‘brand authenticity’ and Instagram art. A challenging and clever play that rejects forced intellectualism without throwing away thoughtfulness – all while being fun, funny and downright exhilarating.

 

Reviewed by William Nash

 


The Dysfunckshonalz!

Hen and Chickens Theatre until 1st June

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:
Abducting Diana | ★★★½ | March 2018
Isaac Saddlesore & the Witches of Drenn | ★★★★ | April 2018
I Will Miss you When You’re Gone | ★★½ | September 2018
Mojo | ★★ | November 2018
Hawk | ★★★ | December 2018
Not Quite | ★★★ | February 2019
The First Modern Man | ★★★ | February 2019

 

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

 

Not Quite

Not Quite
★★★

Hen and Chickens Theatre

Reviews, , , ,

Not Quite

Not Quite

Hen & Chickens Theatre

Reviewed – 25th February 2019

★★★

 

“any shortfall of originality is certainly made up for in sheer energy”

 

As we enter the auditorium, we are given a slip of paper: a brief curriculum vitae that summarises the ‘what not to write’ section of a Personal Statement guide book. It is a neat, cost-cutting alternative to offering a half-hearted cast list in lieu of a programme, and its off-beat, self-deprecating content sets the tone for what is to follow. “Not Quite” explores the pitfalls, faux-pas, trials and tribulations of two young women on their off-kilter, self-destructive quest to navigate the dreaded job interview.

It is a brave enterprise for, much like their characters, they are up against stiff competition. They have chosen a comedy situation well examined over the years by masters of the craft from Tony Hancock through to Ricky Gervais. But Cassie Symes and Georgina Thomas, who have written and perform this fast-paced show, certainly give it their all; and any shortfall of originality is certainly made up for in sheer energy.

The pair have a catchy camaraderie and chemistry that keeps the dialogue flowing as they briskly alternate between interviewer and interviewee. The current is strong enough not to get bogged down by the occasional predictability of the puns. Where it does run aground, though, is during some bizarre moments of physicality that don’t fit comfortably into the narrative. And there is often a self-consciousness that seeps through their armour of madcap comedy. But billed as a ‘work in progress preview’, in preparation for its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, they can be forgiven. But I did long for a little more self-belief, especially with the huge encouragement they were receiving from this particular audience who seemed to be lapping it up. It would be interesting to see how the material stands up when thrown into the lion’s den of the Fringe, faced with a room full of strangers rather than friends.

But there is no denying the talents of Symes and Thomas. They are both top-notch character actors as they hotfoot through their cringe-making blunders and bloopers. Sometimes though, like their characters intent on making a good impression, they are guilty of trying too hard, which unsettles us. But when they relax, they certainly pass the test.

As a show fit for its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, “Not Quite” is not quite ready. But I am more than confident it will be.

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

 


Not Quite

Hen & Chickens Theatre

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:
Abducting Diana | ★★★½ | March 2018
Isaac Saddlesore & the Witches of Drenn | ★★★★ | April 2018
I Will Miss you When You’re Gone | ★★½ | September 2018
Mojo | ★★ | November 2018
Hawk | ★★★ | December 2018
The First Modern Man | ★★★ | February 2019

 

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