“I left the theatre with my ears ringing, my foot tapping and my mind racing”
The Paper Birds Theatre Company are a brave lot. They contacted teenagers in six locations and invited them to ‘Ask Me Anything’. The responses have been analysed and this show put together as a response.
The imaginative, cluttered set incorporated elements of two of the performers’ bedrooms from when they were teenagers. Technology is strongly used with live video feeds, Alexa like screens constantly interrupting and explaining topics and video clips from friends, family and associates of this team. Nice to see a mobile friendly show where photos and sharing are positively encouraged.
Early topics tackled included, how to book an appointment at the doctors, sex, identity, self-esteem and child birth. All amusingly tackled through conversation, audience participation, play acting and song. It felt like you were watching this production being workshopped and as entertaining as it was, I found myself impatiently waiting for the the bigger issues to be tackled.
A box at the front of the stage contained these ‘big topics’. Just as so often in life, the easy topics were dealt with and the hard topics left to the end. When eventually they were tackled, it had a huge impact. The video story by the lovely Sangita, telling us how her son lost his battle with depression, was both beautiful and heart-breaking, I almost felt we were intruding by listening in to this, what a courageous lady!
The three cast members gelled delightfully. Kylie Perry was playful and energetic, Georgie Coles bravely read us some very funny entries from her own teenage years diaries and Rosie Doonan displayed her superb musical talent, her ‘About To Lose It’ song had a touch of the Suzi Quatro’s about it.
I left the theatre with my ears ringing, my foot tapping and my mind racing. A play that is brave in addressing these issues, I came away with the message that the youth of not only this generation, but of those to come, should and must always be listened to.
“Marber’s dialogue fizzes and dances with sharp exchanges and some hilarious moments”
I wouldn’t normally be keen to see a play about football, it’s not something I’m interested in. But this isn’t really a play about football. It’s about the tensions between community and business, between cooperation and self-interest. It’s about secrets and plots, honesty and lies. And it is very good indeed.
The set (Patrick Connellan) is the locker room of a non-league football club. The kit man and general behind the scenes helper Yates, played by John Bowler, is ironing football shirts. He has been involved in the club for years and values the volunteers and supporters. He has the Red Lion club mascot tattooed over his heart. Bowler is full of a tired passion and full of sadness for his lost past, when he was a star player at the club. He is involved in a power struggle with Stephen Tompkinson’s Kidd, the ambitious and driven manager of the club. Kidd sees the club as a business, one he can use to his advantage. He is not averse to bending the rules to line his own pockets. Yates and Kidd want different things from and for the new young player, Dean Bone’s vulnerable, determined Jordan. The three men are all damaged, all seeking better lives, all needing money.
Tomkinson is superb as Kidd. He is devastatingly funny, volcanically furious, and yet manages to show the vulnerability and anxiety that underlie his behaviour. We may despise his actions but we feel some sympathy for his human failings. John Bowler’s Yates is almost poetic in his despair and love for the club. He wants to become a mentor and support for Jordan, perhaps remembering his own glory days by nurturing the talent of the raw young man. Jordan’s self-containment and adherence to his Christian beliefs are tested and found wanting, Dean Bone finding the perfect balance of hope and uncertainty within the character of a young man scarred by violence.
This play, ably directed by Max Roberts, also reflects our changing society; the loss of the old type of football club with it’s community base and involvement, to the demands of profit and business are a metaphor for larger societal changes. Marber’s dialogue fizzes and dances with sharp exchanges and some hilarious moments, yet leaves us with a quiet sense of loss and endings. Red Lion is well worth watching and leaves the audience with food for thought.
