Joseph Prestwich Archives - Page 13 of 25

Awkward Conversations With Animals I’ve F*cked

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 16th April 2019

★★★★

“Karp is utterly convincing, and his journey from shy awkwardness to desperate loneliness is actually quite heart-breaking”

It does exactly what it says on the tin. Four funny, frank and – yes – awkward conversations between one man and the animals he’s fucked. Or been fucked by. Or wants to fuck. Rob Hayes’ unsettling script had the audience in stitches, and with a stellar solo performance by Linus Karp, this show proves to be a hit.

Each scene cleverly keeps the audience guessing who, or more accurately, what Bobby is talking to. Moving from his bedroom, to a hotel, to the cold woods, Bobby sits on the fringes of society. Anxiously avoiding the police and any interference from the outside world, he is an enigmatic figure just trying to connect to… something. Hayes has given us an extreme (and illegal?) position, but anyone whose sexual preference extends beyond monogamous heterosexuality will see something of themselves in Bobby.

Linus Karp as Bobby is genuinely hilarious, an awkward cross between Michael Cera and Max von Sydow. Deftly handling the script like he’s making it up on the spot, Karp is utterly convincing, and his journey from shy awkwardness to desperate loneliness is actually quite heart-breaking. Katherine Armitage has directed her actor effectively, ensuring an acute sense of space and making sure each scene has a completely different tone. Amanda Ljunggren’s design suggests a young, messy, confused man surrounded by IKEA furniture and animal memorabilia. A large wooden bed dominates the stage and is craftily used for a change of scenery in the final scene. Marcus Rice’s music could have played a larger role in scene changes to create a greater sense of atmosphere but was otherwise quite pleasant.

Karp keeps things light however, no matter the dark subject matter. Bobby is never a predator – he’s just a boy struggling with his sexuality. The closest companion to Hayes’ script is Lars von Trier’s 2013 film ‘Nymphomaniac’ (albeit with more laughs). “Sexuality is the strongest force in human beings. To be born with a forbidden sexuality must be agonising,” says Joe in Volume II. We feel for Bobby, despite our best efforts. But this play makes you laugh before making you think. As squeals of disgust and barks of laughter filled the auditorium though, I couldn’t help wondering: aren’t we all just animals anyway?

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Simon J Webb

Awkward Conversations With Animals I’ve F*cked

King’s Head Theatre until 27th April

A Walk in the Woods With Linus Karp

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Brexit | ★★★★★ | November 2018

Buttons: A Cinderella Story | ★★★★ | November 2018

Momma Golda | ★★★ | November 2018

The Crumple Zone | ★★ | November 2018

Outlying Islands | ★★★★ | January 2019

Timpson: The Musical | ★★★ | February 2019

The Crown Dual | ★★★★ | March 2019

Undetectable | ★★★★ | March 2019

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

★★

“not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be”

Imagining the “blood and destruction” that will sweep Italy, Marc Antony famously pictures the moment when Caesar’s spirit “Ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice, Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war”. Lacking true drama, threat or passion, Tom Coash’s play, sadly, never lives up to the promise of its title.

Mohammed El-Masri (James El-Sharawy) returns to a trashed flat in Egypt after six days of imprisonment and beatings at the hand of the government police forces. Weakened and shaken by his ordeal, he turns to English gent Nicholas Field (Marc Antolin) to help him escape the regime. After pleading with Karren Winchester’s bizarrely entertaining immigration officer Ms. Nevers, Nicholas gets the visa they need. But Mohammed’s love for his homeland is not so easily overcome, and he ends up facing a stark choice.

Told through various conversations taking place in Mohammed’s flat, Coash’s script introduces a vital topic for our times: the continued and frequent imprisonment and torture of gay men in countries across the world. And yet his play lacks any real intention or high stakes, and his characters remain forgettable. We meet Mohammed at the wrong time in his story so that the anguish of his ordeal draws less sympathy than it should. Considering this moment defines so much of the character’s actions, some sense of who he was before his imprisonment would have really added to our understanding of his character.

Director Pamela Schermann’s well-known skills never quite shine through in this production, hampered, perhaps, by the script. Time passes, but it is often unclear how much. Her actors do well however in the regular black-outs to change scene in character. Mohammed and Nicholas’ relationship struggles to convince however, and even an awkwardly placed scene where the pair reminisce about how they met (and handily fills us in on their history in the meantime) fails to make it clear who these characters really are and why they are trying to be together in the first place. The climax therefore lands with a dull thud. This story deserves more.

‘Cry Havoc’ has too many caricatures and not enough character. An important story that raises awareness of a global problem, but not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 16th April 2019

★★★★

“Karp is utterly convincing, and his journey from shy awkwardness to desperate loneliness is actually quite heart-breaking”

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Simon J Webb

Awkward Conversations With Animals I’ve F*cked

King’s Head Theatre until 27th April

Related articles:

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Park Theatre

Reviewed – 29th March 2019

★★

“not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be”

‘Cry Havoc’ has too many caricatures and not enough character. An important story that raises awareness of a global problem, but not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli

Cry Havoc

Park Theatre until 20th April

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: