Joseph Prestwich Archives - Page 5 of 25

Puttana

Etcetera Theatre

Reviewed – 19th August 2019

★★★

“Punchy and filled with promise, it’s a well-crafted hour of storytelling”

How judgemental are we of ourselves and others? Does your sex life define you? How easy is it to love your own body? ‘Puttana’, a one-man-show with a short run at this year’s Camden Fringe, tackles these questions head on. Italian for bitch, whore, or slut, “puttana” is a wonderfully expressive word. As Oskar Hartman explores though, it’s a slander, a label that attacks beneath the surface and can have lasting implications.

Hartman begins his performance lying on a bare, blow-up mattress, woken up by the sound of his phone. Messages from Grindr. His usual hook-up conversations are drilled, and lead on a larger meditation of his own life and sexual experiences. This is, as advertised, a bare-knuckle confessional monologue. Hartman’s raunchy and, at times, harrowing sexual history uncovers the highs and lows of gay male hook-up culture. The piece swings between self-indulgence and comedic insight, with the story never quite taking off, or leading anywhere profound.

This boldly entertaining monologue packs a punch, but Oskar’s biggest challenge is winning over his audience. Some more time getting to know us, might make us want to get to know him. Considerably well-travelled, Hartman takes us to a sex club in Berlin, Starbucks in New York, a sexual health clinic in Helsinki and an exclusive club in Milan. His all-too-brief transformation in Luca the Doorman provides a winning moment of comedy, as he selects which members of the audience are allowed into his club: “Tu, si. Tu, no.” Hartman embodies different characters nicely – I only wish we’d seen more.

Director and dramaturg Jonna Wikström could certainly trim some of the fat from this production. Although Oskar is embroiled in club culture, the benefits of seeing one man raving on stage for more than a few seconds are questionable. That said, the combination of flashing lights and well-structured storytelling makes the Berlin sex club scene a highlight of the show. Hartman’s nervy performance gets more and more relaxed as the show goes on. He asks audience members lots of questions – does he want them to answer?

For those with a taste for confessional monologues, this is a must-see at the Camden Fringe. The piece at once criticises the superficiality of hook-up culture, whilst of course seeming to advocate it. On the one hand, its message is that we ought to stop judging people for their sexual exploits. On the other, it presents gay characters defined only by what they do in (or not, as the case may be) the bedroom. However, hopefully Hartman and friends will find other occasions to bring this piece back beyond its two-day run. Punchy and filled with promise, it’s a well-crafted hour of storytelling. I only wish I cared about Oskar more to make his final realisation as impactful as it wants to be.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Puttana

Etcetera Theatre until 20th August as part of Camden Fringe 2019

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Jailbirds | ★★ | December 2018

The Very Well-Fed Caterpillar | ★★★★ | December 2018

Bricks of the Wall | ★ | January 2019

Saga | ★★★★ | March 2019

Safety Net | ★½ | April 2019

The Wasp | ★★★½ | June 2019

Past Perfect | ★★★★ | July 2019

Vice | ★★½ | July 2019

The Parentheticals: Improdyssey | ★★★★ | August 2019

Women On The Edge | ★★★ | August 2019

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

It All

Soho Theatre

Reviewed – 12th August 2019

★★★

“Cook is a confident, competent and compelling performer”

A stern and solemn musician (Patrick Bell) sits on stage waiting for it all to begin. Keyboard, guitar, and violin form a wall around him; a triangle dangles in front. The musician won’t smile once for the whole hour, nor will he speak. Like the audience, he’s waiting for the main event. Cameron Cook gracefully glides into the light. ‘It All’, a dreamlike journey tackling life, death, love and capitalism, begins.

It’s a tricksy show to sum up. Cook, whose black lipstick, white vest, black trousers and braces are reminiscence of a clowning street-performer, speaks a finely penned poem delving into life’s bigger mysteries. Like a young Jim Carrey, he is constantly interrupted by new characters, scenarios, blink-and-you-miss-it moments that possess his body and cause absurd and hilarious physical and vocal changes. A father and son talk about the meaning of life. An old Southern American man warns there’s a “storm a-comin’”. A slick businessman descends into Gollum-like madness. By the end, it’s only the performer who remains, demanding a curtain call and pontificating on what ‘it all’ could mean.

I must admit, the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy this performance much more than I did. Cook is a confident, competent and compelling performer. He switches between characters and situations with absolute ease, and his physical contortions are astounding. Watching him perform is like switching between radio stations, each moment completely different, drawing you into weird and wonderful worlds for all-too-brief moments. However, the lack of cohesive structure is a gnawing issue, the final message is not quite clear.

If there is a message. Ever aware of being a performer on stage in front of an audience, Cook’s show might just be a showcase for his talents and an evening of clownish cabaret entertainment. This audience was certainly hooked throughout. For me, the transformations became a little too repetitive. With no completely coherent connection between them, the array of characters wasn’t varied enough in tone, nor funny enough to be thoroughly enjoyable.

Despite that, there are, of course, moments of pure joy. The relationship between performer and musician is smart and humorous, and Cook’s capitalist Gollum was a personal highlight. Bell plays his instruments with commitment and gusto, making his triangle playing especially watchable. The lighting is stark and bright – a simple set up but ideal for a show where the focus is on performance.

Mildly enjoyable for some, a masterpiece for others, this show is certainly not for everyone. If clowning and mid-nineties Jim Carrey is your bag, you’ll be up on your feet at the end. For me, the show needs a slightly more coherent through-line to move beyond just being a showcase of acting talent. Cook and Bell are a delight though – and it is Cook’s boundless energy and optimism that makes the hour-long running time whizz by.

Etcetera Theatre

Reviewed – 19th August 2019

★★★

“Punchy and filled with promise, it’s a well-crafted hour of storytelling”

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Puttana

Etcetera Theatre until 20th August as part of Camden Fringe 2019

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Soho Theatre

Reviewed – 12th August 2019

★★★

“Cook is a confident, competent and compelling performer”

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Michael Hani

It All

Soho Theatre until 12th August

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: