“The overall concept is wonderfully imaginative and certainly has the potential to be great, but right now feels like it is a couple of steps behind achieving this”
A lot can happen in one night. However, I don’t think any of us can say we have ever had one as eventful as the two protagonists in new play Serve Cold experience. Set in the bleak shadows of the early hours, this dark Scottish comedy, reveals the unthinkable that can go on behind closed doors.
One night. Two women. The bank of Glasgow’s River Clyde. A chance meeting. Or so it seems… Grace (Anna Marie Burslem), a prostitute with a heart of gold, thinks she’s found an unlikely kindred spirit in Joy (Paula Gilmour), but as the night unfolds, there is more to her new middle-class friend that meets the eye. As both women’s worlds collide they endeavour to help the other out of their difficult, or at times, bizarre, situations, testing just how far they will go to achieve the revenge they so desire to finally feel free.
The dark comic dialogue created by Mark MacNicol certainly gives a nod to the style of work Martin McDonagh has cultivated over the years for stage and screen, similarly capturing the hilarity of twisted scenarios and finding humour in the murkier elements of human behaviour. MacNicol certainly has some disturbingly funny one-liners. As far-fetched and exaggerated as the black-comedy genre can be, Serve Cold still lacks moments of needed believability, which makes the performance less credible (for example, the way in which Grace has immediate trust in Joy). With the play coming in at under an hour, certain scenes feel rushed and not given enough time for character motivations or plot lines to be fleshed out further.
Burslem and Gilmour as Grace and Joy offer sufficiently solid performances, proving an instinctive sense of comic timing, but likewise to the script, there is definite room for finessing their roles. Finding some nuanced qualities in order to present more complex, multifaceted characters.
It is definitely refreshing to see an all-female cast dealing with such darkly humorous, perverse material – a genre that usually is dominated by male characters. The overall concept of Serve Cold is wonderfully imaginative and certainly has the potential to be great, but right now feels like it is a couple of steps behind achieving this. A promising attempt at exploring the dark depths humanity can sink to in desperation.
“Barry has created characters that heavily contrast with one another, and yet very believably get along”
Continuing their residency at the Katzenjammer Bierkeller, Exploding Whale’s production of ‘Let’s Get Lost’ (an original piece inspired by J.M. Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’) follows the lives of Wez and her four closest friends in an imagined seaside town. The story takes place after the death of Wez’s Mum, and the supposed death of her brother, and shows how all the characters cope with loss, changing friendships and growing up. It is the first play written by cast member Bebe Barry, and only the second production for this budding company.
Coinciding with the start of the Camden Fringe, London is currently awash with companies just like this, all aiming to put their mark on the over-crowded London theatrical map. Whilst many of these productions will go down as highly amateur, this will not be one of them. As soon as I entered the space I realised how excellent an idea it was to perform a play in a bierkeller. The huge underground beer hall was transformed into a lush green park, surrounded by fairy lights and deck chairs. Plus there was a bar with a wide range of beers at the back of the room. It was a refreshing and welcoming environment to walk into, and left the audience at ease that what they were about to see would be enjoyable and professional.
The real triumph of this piece is how Barry has created characters that heavily contrast with one another, and yet very believably get along. Each character provides a different presence and energy, whilst also slotting into the dynamic of the friendship group seamlessly. This is an excellent indicator of both good writing, and a company of actors that work well together. The characters that stood out most were Pup and Alfie, played by Bebe Barry and Julian Bailey-Jones respectively. The energy both of these characters gave off was impossible to ignore, and provided the audience with the most enjoyable and satisfying moments of the play.
By contrast however, there were too many other moments throughout where the energy was low, and the piece lacked the urgency that seemed necessary. It was commendable that a play centred on death didn’t focus too much on the negative; however it was a theme that wasn’t given enough severity or dramatic significance. These moments of low energy made the script seem amateur.
If you are a keen theatre goer then chances are that you are going to see a lot of theatre this month. I doubt you will see any new companies who are as professionally organised and well produced as these guys. I do hope, however, you will get to see pieces and performances with more urgency and drama. Still, I see this show only getting better as they continue their run.
