Hope Theatre Archives - Page 8 of 26

The Censor

Hope Theatre

Reviewed – 27th June 2019

★★

“As much as round RoundPeg tries to revitalise this unsettling play, it feels heavy handed and melodramatic”

Art or porn? That is the question. Anthony Neilson’s controversial play The Censor, makes a London comeback to explore all things taboo. Female-driven RoundPeg Theatre, responsible for its return, try taking a feminist stance on the work’s gender power play. Yet it’s difficult to tell if the fault lies with the writing, the performances or direction in not fully achieving the desired affect, making this production quite unbearable at times to watch (and that’s not the extremely close-up explicit content).

A female film director finds herself in the office of a censor, a man whose decision determines whether her work will be given the green light for release. Due to the film’s highly pornographic nature, the censor point blank writes it off as a no go, but can Miss Fontaine convince him to see beyond the images and at its artistic dissection of humanity instead? As she tries to educate him past the black and white and into the grey areas, more unravels about the censor’s personal life and the repressed feelings he’s held back.

The two female roles, Miss Fontaine and the censor’s wife, in particular, feel very one dimensional. As mentioned previously, it’s difficult to tell whether it’s the writing or the performances that don’t quite work. I feel it’s a little of both. Chandrika Chevli as The Wife is far too underused and whose brief moments on stage with Jonathan McGarrity seem fruitless. It would be more interesting to see their relationship developed further. Suzy Whitefield’s turn as the allusive Miss Fontaine can often come across forced whilst McGarrity as the censor lacks a sense of authority to initially clash and then be overruled by Miss Fontaine’s dominance.

The twenty-two year old play does feel aged in certain ways. Due to the growth of explicit images surrounding us and being easily accessible, the ‘scenes of a sexual nature’ in The Censor seem to have lost their potency. Undeniably there is still a certain frisson in having such acts simulated live, particularly the infamous defecation scene, but overall our desensitisation to the like, has made it far less shocking than back in 1997 when first staged.

The projection screens to the corners of the space, showing the erotic, semi-graphic scenes from ‘the film’ could have been used with far more powerful intention. It does help to set the dark, ambiguous atmosphere but ends up feeling monotonous and ineffectual as generally the same brief clip repeats for denoting transitions or sexual acts on stage.

As much as round RoundPeg tries to revitalise this unsettling play, it feels heavy handed and melodramatic. Although there are certainly problems with the writing itself, such as questionable character actions or improbable situations that occur, the more interesting questions that Neilson does raise feels undeveloped and not presented clearly enough by the company.

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli

The Censor

Hope Theatre until 13th July

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Gilded Butterflies | ★★ | November 2018

Head-rot Holiday | ★★★★ | November 2018

Alternativity | ★★★★ | December 2018

In Conversation With Graham Norton | ★★★ | January 2019

The Ruffian On The Stair | ★★★★ | January 2019

Getting Over Everest | ★★★ | April 2019

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story | ★★★★★ | April 2019

Uncle Vanya | ★★★★ | April 2019

True Colours | ★★★★ | May 2019

Cuttings | ★★★½ | June 2019

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★★★½

“wonderfully throws a humorous and uncomfortable mirror up to society’s failure to engender a sense of responsibility”

If you’ve never been to the Hope Theatre, I recommend you pay it a visit. Based in Islington and part of the pub-theatre tradition, it has a lovely, intimate theatre space; drawing the audience right into the action of any production. The staff, at the Hope are also incredibly friendly which only adds to the enjoyable ambience of the venue.

Written by Ollie George Clark, this play set about tackling the culture of ‘apology’ – or the failure to do it earnestly – in a very articulate and multifaceted way. It begins in a publicist’s office with staff frantically fire-fighting the damage caused by the colourful language of one their clients. We watch as their discussion of how to cultivate a heart-felt apology descends into sinister realms.

Many aspects of this production stood out – from the fine detail of the props such as the incredibly realistic newspaper articles and décor (Caitlin Abbott) to the female led cast, with Maisie Preston’s performance of Danica as a deeply insecure, happy go lucky intern, being of particular joy to watch. These roles are meaty and complex; with each character highlighting the different dynamics women have with each other and how they have to navigate that with the outside world – in this instance, the acting industry. The idea of race was also highlighted both within the play and aesthetically. It was really gratifying to see actress Natasha Patel (who plays Ruchi) on stage performing with savvy assuredness, Patel’s presence reflected both the importance of inclusivity of casting whilst simultaneously illuminating the lack of it within the industry.

Cuttings touches upon a very ripe and tender nerve about the way social media influences our everyday communication, and not always for the better. How YouTube beefs have now become newsworthy topics, how popularity trumps talent, the exploitative monetising of mental health and the unconventional rise of the insta-celeb which threatens the decorum of the well-oiled theatrical establishment.

When the simple act of apologising becomes an act of war; this play wonderfully throws a humorous and uncomfortable mirror up to society’s failure to engender a sense of responsibility.

Reviewed by Pippin

Photography by Cam Harle

Hope Theatre

Reviewed – 27th June 2019

★★

“As much as round RoundPeg tries to revitalise this unsettling play, it feels heavy handed and melodramatic”

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli

The Censor

Hope Theatre until 13th July

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Hope Theatre

Reviewed – 6th June 2019

★★★½

“wonderfully throws a humorous and uncomfortable mirror up to society’s failure to engender a sense of responsibility”

When the simple act of apologising becomes an act of war; this play wonderfully throws a humorous and uncomfortable mirror up to society’s failure to engender a sense of responsibility.

Reviewed by Pippin

Photography by Cam Harle

Cuttings

VENUE until DATE (no year)

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: