Joanna Hetherington Archives - Page 10 of 26

★★★★

“this talented young company knows when to change gear and transport us to the essence of Shakespeare’s words and emotions”

Brighton, 1964. Whitsun weekend becomes a landmark for an explosion of youth identity during riots between the tribal subcultures of mods and rockers. Setting the mood for Exploding Whale’s new version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, it encapsulates the pent-up teenage energy and passion which simmer under the surface, ready to boil over in rage or jealousy or love. It may be a timeless tragedy, but this production pinpoints an era of adolescent unrest and disobedience, clearly identifiable in its music and fashion.

As we sit on the beach in deckchairs, the two families appear. Dressed as expected, the use of colour gives them an added stylish unity – rockers in jeans and leathers with a touch of bright red, mods in fashionable black and purple. Detailed lighting and sound (Louis Caro) punctuate scenes and enhance the ambience. The first half lends itself well to its new environment with the initial street fight and the Montagues gate-crashing the Capulet’s party (cue for music) but it takes a while to tune into certain updated roles due to the mixture of accents and unforgiving acoustics, especially in the round. As the narrative is not always clear, we are initially drawn to the more accessible personalities and by the time they are at the Capulet’s, eyes are drawn to dancing partners, Mercutio and the Nurse. However, this is followed by a beautifully powerful balcony scene which seals the play’s integrity and tone. In the second half, with some arresting and intrepid acting, it is the core of Shakespeare’s story which takes over from the 60s landscape until, towards the end, only the music reminds us where we are.

Ben Woodhall’s direction is an original but astute understanding of the script; there are novel takes on the characters, inventive staging and well-shaped dynamic flow. Teddy Morris plays a very real Romeo with a combination of sentiment and honesty which, coupled with Bebe Barry’s shining yet intense innocence as Juliet, gives a fresh and truly moving performance of a classic moment. In supporting roles, Billy Dunmore’s excellent portrayal as Mercutio is immediately charming as the fun best friend but equally bitter as he lies dying; Alex Harvey (Tybalt) brings a raw aggressive presence, Joe Bonfield gives Friar Laurence a contrasting solemnity and in a somewhat fishwife version of the Nurse, Lily Smith creates an interesting and vivid new persona.

With its own youthful energy, Exploding Whale succeeds in presenting an enjoyable and fully-fledged ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Yes, the show does have its foot-tapping moments as promised, but this talented young company knows when to change gear and transport us to the essence of Shakespeare’s words and emotions.

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

Photography courtesy Exploding Whale

The Incursion

Bread & Roses Theatre

Reviewed – 2nd July 2019

Gnawings

★★

Bottleneck

★★½

“there is a lot of room for rethinking and adjustments to bring more coherence”

A double-bill presented by student-based Sisu Theatre, ‘The Incursion’ looks inwards at our individual coping mechanism which switches on to protect us when we feel most vulnerable. The first piece brings to light the repercussions of avoiding the painful truth and the second turns a blind, delusional eye to our surrounding reality.

‘Gnawings’, written and directed by Olivia Catchpole, depicts the peculiar behaviour within families. It relates to the singularity of its members who are inextricably tied and the lengths to which they are prepared to go to manage this bond. To start with, the narrative and scenario are obvious and familiar – a typical family get together, everyday small talk. Tensions rise, steam is let off and finally they all settle down again. Through this storyline, there is a fight, the mother disappears (literally eaten away by leaving things unsaid) and the father briefly turns into a rodent, though whether he is victim or culprit or both is inconclusive. Leon Bach as the son, Oliver, begins to draw us in with his opening lines but, as the conversation develops between them, a lack of fusion in the delivery makes the dialogue judder and, with the awkwardness of the cast’s under-defined characters, even its chances for absurd comedy are weakened.

A sunny beach strewn with plastic bags and bottles of alcohol, the set depicts a scene of neglect and bleakness. Madeleine Carter, writer and director, uses ‘Bottleneck’ to illustrate this disturbing situation and how the feeling of impotence can trigger diverse reactions as a survival technique. Sarah Eakin and Leon Bach as Celia and Raymond form an interesting and convincing couple who, blistering in the heat of their sterile existence, look away from the world and find solace in each other. There is fluidity and shape to both their interpretation of the script and use of the small stage area. When Beatrice and Amy (Gemma Ortega and Olivia Catchpole) enter, the play changes gear. Neither gets under the skin of their character, so the meaning of the narrative becomes ambiguous, the energy peters out and we are left puzzled.

The lighting and sound (Sam Lorimer) certainly help the performances – the gnawing background noise creates an irritating unease and the beach is enhanced by atmospheric lighting. Although there is a lot of room for rethinking and adjustments to bring more coherence, especially to the endings, ‘The Incursion’ has a thoughtful basis to build on. Less of a profound comment on the consequences of human action, the ideas behind this new writing are an expression of maturing discovery and making sense of issues which imply a disturbing future for the younger generation.

Katzpace

Reviewed – 22nd July 2019

★★★★

“this talented young company knows when to change gear and transport us to the essence of Shakespeare’s words and emotions”

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

Photography courtesy Exploding Whale

Romeo and Juliet

Katzpace until 30th July 2019

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Bread & Roses Theatre

Reviewed – 2nd July 2019

Gnawings

★★

Bottleneck

★★½

“there is a lot of room for rethinking and adjustments to bring more coherence”

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

The Incursion

Bread & Roses Theatre until 6th July

Previously reviewed at this venue: