Thirty years since its first performance, Covent Garden Productions brings Talk Radio to the Old Red Lion, a play about free speech and how we misuse it. Fictional shock-jock Barry Champlain invites his listeners to call in and say their piece on any topic they like, from the personal, political to the perils of garbage disposal, for which he in turn lambasts them with caustic wit. On the eve of national syndication, Champlain starts to lose control live on air.
I want to love this production. There is a lot to like. Matthew Jure’s performance is masterful. His energy and mania as Barry starts to unravel on air is hypnotic. The rest of the cast are equally fantastic, particularly Ceallach Spellman who storms on as the irrepressible Kent. The set design is incredible, the detail is immaculate and the claustrophobia it creates is palpable. Turner’s direction is slick, keeping the show moving at break neck speed. The pace never slows as the constant stream of voices bombard Champlain, trapped in his box. This has all the elements of a great show.
Unfortunately, it lacks heart. While the lack of connection with the callers may be deliberate, the relationships in the room feel equally hollow. They all exist in isolation, which undermines Barry’s contempt for his callers and robs the play of any emotional impact. The most obvious casualty of this is Molly McNerney’s Linda, whose last minute attempt to reach out to Barry feels unfounded. She becomes just another caller for Barry to abuse and what should be poignant falls flat.
There are also a couple of inconsistencies which just feel clumsy – a particular moment sticks out when an unpleasant delivery is made to the station, creating real tension – which then gets completely thrown away when said delivery is left to litter the DJ booth.
There is no question that Eric Bogosian’s script still has relevance today, with free speech being so widely misused across social media. Questions about what it is we choose to say and who it is we choose to listen to feel even more pertinent in the age of Twitter. But while enjoyable, this show doesn’t hit home enough to be provocative.
Reviewed for thespyinthestalls.com
Photography by Cameron Harle
TALK RADIO
is at The Old Red Lion Theatre until 23rd September
“an exciting, moving, hilarious and provocative piece of theatre”
The first thing we hear from Tiffany (Rosie Wyatt) is an extended burp, caused by her opening and downing a can of Diet Coke on stage. It’s a good introduction to this immensely visceral play, in which the playwright, Sarah Kosar, explores the pain that stems from grief and emotional isolation by putting the body centre stage.
The metaphorical is made concrete. It’s a simple, but effective theatrical concept, and is cleverly offset by the striking visual projections behind the action, which serve as a continual reminder of the online world which we all increasingly inhabit.
Photography courtesy of Lidia Crisafulli
Kosar is a playful playwright, both in her willingness to embrace the surreal, and the evident pleasure she takes in the spoken word. There are some wonderful Ortonesque moments – ‘And I just lost my mum. My parent. I’m a half-orphan now’, Tiffany spits at her dad (Andrew Frame) towards the beginning of the show. I also loved the sections of Kate Tempest inspired spoken word in the piece, in which Tiffany tries to make sense of her painful emotional landscape.
Despite the subject matter, the play is also extremely funny, and it’s a testament to both the playwright and the two performers that this reviewer both cried with laughter and was moved to tears within the show’s 75 minute time frame. Andrew Frame’s Hugh was a poignant portrait of a man initially paralysed by the loss of his wife, slowly returning to the world and re-finding his relationship with his daughter.
Witnessing him open up, both physically and vocally, over the course of the play, was a delight. Although I could have done with a little more tonal variation, Rosie Wyatt was convincing too as the neurotic 25 year old Tiffany, weighed down by the loss of her mother, inching towards the light. Tommo Fowler’s able and subtle direction allowed each character to breathe, and the design team (Robbie Butler – lighting; Odinn Orn Hilmarsson – sound; Charlotte Henery – set and costume; Fed – projection) created an arresting visual and aural world.
Mumburger is an exciting, moving, hilarious and provocative piece of theatre. Kosar is clearly a talent to watch.
