★

“a confusing and frustrating experience”

Sarah Quand Même is a one-woman show about the life of Sarah Bernhardt, a French actress who recalls her life to her granddaughter Lysiane. You need to know that the entire play is performed in a thick French accent with a shrill infantilising affectation that grows tiring over the course of 80 minutes. There is little distinction between the various characters in Sarah’s life which also makes it almost impossible to discern different voices; an absolutely terminal mistake for a one-woman show. The play is a confusing and frustrating experience as a result. There are brief moments where some kind of distinction between characters is made, allowing occasional insight and intrigue into her life- but these are few and far between.

Written and acted by Susie Lindeman, Sarah is performed in a one note state seemingly permanently on the verge of crying in an over-the top fashion that speeds through dialogue. Moments in Sarah’s life that are genuinely heartfelt feel parodied and lost in the hysterical mess of scenes that are sometimes separated with the sound of champagne popping. The viewer is left totally lost and unable to understand any kind of story. In a curious choice of direction by Wayne Harrison, pieces of paper scattered across the stage are picked up, played with and discarded as we go through the chapters of Sarah’s life, possibly in homage to her life reading scripts. The tale of a poorly received and misunderstood actor feels hard to sympathise with when watching a play that is so worthy of criticism.

A lone highlight is the atmospheric and evocative lighting design (Martin Kinnane). The use of footlights evoke the stage lighting of Sarah’s era and heighten scenes, even when what is happening in them is unclear. The bold spotlights contrast with the ethereal colours as Lindeman floats around the stage in various night dresses. Another surprisingly well executed aspect is the set design. A decadent set of regency chairs and a deep red chaise lounge place us well in the time period, accompanied by Art deco posters and a light-bulb adorned dressing room desk (Justin Nardella).

As all linear biographies are destined to end with a death, It is not a surprise that Sarah Quand Même includes an almost comically slow and drawn out death that epitomises the problems with the performance. No amount of beautiful and underused set could fix the issues with the piece and the 80 minutes spent in the Drayton Arms could be better spent on more polished and watchable shows. Sarah Bernhardt may have been a fascinating and extraordinary person in her time but this performance did not portray this through its content or execution.

AMUSEMENTS at the Soho Theatre

★★★★

“light-hearted and bizarre performed with precision and spontaneity”

Amusements opens with Ikechukwu Ufomadu approaching the microphone clutching a teacup with a pained expression and dressed in a tuxedo. Already inciting laughs, he reactively winces at an audience member opening a crisp packet before addressing the intimate crowd of the Soho Theatre. From New York, Ufomadu evokes an old fashioned American host who somehow got a gig entertaining the voices inside someone’s head. Having been developed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, ‘Amusements’ is delightfully weird and hard to define, but enjoyable and entertaining throughout. It is technically a ‘family friendly’ show in terms of content, but definitely not for children. It’s not shouty or obscene; just completely nonsensical and silly. It asks many questions “what is this?” “what did I watch?” Fear not – there’s a (not very) helpful Q&A at the end where the presenter (does not) answer these queries. A lot of the joy of the show is from the sheer unexpectedness of topics. To enjoy the ride, it’s recommended to go in as unprepared as possible. Stop reading this review at once!

Having said that…we are thrown into a wonderfully odd show peppered with impressions, word play and excerpts from “Shakespeare was…the Shakespeare of his time”. Ufomadu dissects the nature of theatre and performer: “I am playing the role of a comedian” projecting the persona of an American television host on the verge of a breakdown who launches into tangents of impersonations of presidents and actors in entirely unpredictable monologues. There’s singing and reading and even an informative power point. The show builds in its hilarity and warms itself gradually, relying on the energy of the audience somewhat. Performed with a trusty microphone, two books and the occasional sound effect ‘Amusements’ fills its hour easily.

Without wanting to spoil the show, be warned: there is audience participation. The same advice to the audience that anyone might give when attending a stand-up show apply: avoid the front, don’t look too scared and don’t try to feed them a joke. Ufomadu plays with the idea of audience and spectatorship by parodying applause and pointing out tropes. Its strange style may not be for everyone. it’s committed to its peculiar tone and does not pander. The wide ranging piece can feel like a stream of consciousness at times, with little holding it to planet earth, however with acceptance of the confusion comes appreciation for subverting expectations. No mention of politics, current events or audience observations, ‘Amusements’ is light-hearted and bizarre performed with precision and spontaneity by Ufomadu.

Tag Archives: Jessica Potts

SARAH QUAND MÊME

★

Drayton Arms Theatre

SARAH QUAND MÊME at the Drayton Arms Theatre

★

“a confusing and frustrating experience”

SARAH QUAND MÊME at the Drayton Arms Theatre

Reviewed on 29th February 2024

by Jessica Potts

Photography by Darren Struwig

Recently reviewed by Jessica:

TWO ROUNDS | ★★★ | Jermyn Street Theatre | February 2024

WISH YOU WEREN’T HERE | ★★★ | Soho Theatre | February 2024

SARAH QUAND MÊME

SARAH QUAND MÊME

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

AMUSEMENTS

★★★★

Soho Theatre

AMUSEMENTS at the Soho Theatre

★★★★

“light-hearted and bizarre performed with precision and spontaneity”