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★★★★

“an impressive debut that manages to strike a chord whilst taking artistic risks”

In the programme notes for their debut show, Contingency Theatre suggest that, ‘We are more comfortable yet more insecure than we’ve ever been’. It’s a fact that’s hard to argue with. Expectation looms over our heads like storm clouds whilst we attempt to convince everyone that, in our world, everything is sunny and bright. Nowhere is this truer than in our working lives, where the pressure of success is the source of secret anxiety. Part sharp-tongued satire and part hypnotic piece of physical theatre, George tackles this very real and relevant experience in an evocative and otherworldly manner.

The show traces George’s journey from his idle days in the village to his arrival in the city. Initially reluctant to leave his old life behind, he soon becomes swept up in cosmopolitan life – but to what end? Is this what George really wants? Will conforming to society’s expectations bring him happiness?

What makes the piece so striking is how closely it engages with our innermost fears. George would rather play in the village than go to the city, but such lack of ambition is unthinkable. He is tormented by his mother and friends, who chide him with phrases like, ‘You don’t want to get left behind, do you?’ Despite living the life he wants, insecurity causes him to abandon it for the sake of conventionality. His friends Nick and Cam are anxious and eager to please. Their worth is determined by J, the mysterious boss who shapes their careers; without him, they have no sense of self. The way in which they strive for validation through success – whilst losing themselves in the process – captures this all-too-common inner conflict perfectly.

It’s hard to believe that this is Contingency Theatre’s first full-length show. Thanks to their bold vision, they already feel like a fully-fledged professional company. Their physical theatre is clever, controlled, often breath-taking. Their energy and commitment makes this form of expression just as powerful as any written script, if not more so. The bare stage and minimal props let the movement speak for itself, and is a great reminder that the human body can create believable worlds just as well as extravagant sets.

The three performers are highly watchable. Barbara Blanka commands attention as George. Despite the reluctance of the audience to interact with her, Blanka still manages to evoke their sympathy and believe in her portrayal. Max Percy and Igor Smith give the show a sinister edge: their portrayal of George’s mother is especially creepy. Yet, like Blanka, they both tap into the vulnerability of their characters to great effect.

George is an impressive debut that manages to strike a chord whilst taking artistic risks. The result is a show that is emotionally familiar, visually strange, and exciting to watch.

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

My Dad’s Gap Year

Park Theatre

Reviewed – 1st February 2019

★★½

“Although the dialogue is often a bit wooden, there are flashes of cleverness and adept humour. However, the story is as directionless as its protagonist”

Eighteen-year-old, gay, repressed William (Alex Britt) is gearing up for a gap year of work experience at a marketing firm. But his free-spirit, alcoholic, “try-everything-once” father Dave (Adam Lannon) has other plans for him. Dave surprises William with plane tickets to Thailand. Screw work experience; William needs life experience. William is going to take a proper gap year, and Dave is going with him.
My Dad’s Gap Year is a sleek production by design team Sarah Beaton (set and costume), Derek Anderson (lighting), and Benjamin Winter (sound). The stage is a raised, square platform with a pit in the centre. The cold blue and magenta lights reflect on the sterile white stage. It’s a striking, well-executed aesthetic. Whether it serves the story is another question. I’m not fully convinced it does.

The script, by Tom Wright, explores worthy subjects, including the ways alcoholism affects families, and transgender issues. Although the dialogue is often a bit wooden, there are flashes of cleverness and adept humour. However, the story is as directionless as its protagonist. William’s journey to Thailand is something that’s been forced on him. He’s passive. There’s nothing to feel invested in, because there’s nothing he’s trying to do. Dave is equally adrift. They party, they meet people, they try new things – William learns to loosen up, and a twist is revealed about Dave – but it’s a scattering of scenes that don’t feel like they’re adding up to anything. There are big moments of confrontation and melodrama, but because they’re not formed from a building story, we end up watching from a place of detachment.

The problem with audience investment is further exacerbated by the fact that William is unsympathetic. He’s a pious, judgmental, “disrespectful little brat,” as his mother finally calls him. He chastises his mum for not prioritising his needs over her own. He’s abusive and transphobic toward Dave’s Thai girlfriend. Because we aren’t given anything to compensate for William’s unlikability, it’s difficult to care what happens to him.

The two non-English characters rely heavily on cultural tropes: the sexualised, non-monogamous, Spanish Matias (Max Percy), and the Thai “ladyboy” Mae (Victoria Gigante), who speaks in stereotypical broken English. Because Wright doesn’t seem to have any insight into the cultures he’s invoked, his use of them as background for a narrative about a white family feels careless.

Camden People’s Theatre

Reviewed – 12th March 2019

★★★★

“an impressive debut that manages to strike a chord whilst taking artistic risks”

George is an impressive debut that manages to strike a chord whilst taking artistic risks. The result is a show that is emotionally familiar, visually strange, and exciting to watch.

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

George

Camden People’s Theatre

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Park Theatre

Reviewed – 1st February 2019

★★½

“Although the dialogue is often a bit wooden, there are flashes of cleverness and adept humour. However, the story is as directionless as its protagonist”

At the moment, My Dad’s Gap Year is a pool of characters, backstories, and ideas. If Wright can find the plot, the play will be much stronger.

Reviewed by Addison Waite

Photography by Pamela Raith

My Dad’s Gap Year

Park Theatre until 23rd February

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: