★★★★

“Warden has raised important questions for our social media obsessed world”

Liv Warden’s play Anomaly is described as: “An unsettling debut play, exploring sisterhood, reputation and loyalty.” Phillip Preston, a powerful man in the film industry, has been arrested for GBH, after assaulting his wife. But the play is not about him. The only characters are his three daughters Piper, Penny and Polly, played by Natasha Cowley, Katherine Samuelson and Alice Handoll respectively, and their struggle to deal with what has happened to their family, and to cope with the media fallout. Piper, the eldest, works in the family business and has to try to keep it intact during the scandal following her father’s arrest. Penny is an actor in LA, who is in demand on the chat show circuit, and who has, until now, benefitted from being Preston’s daughter. Polly is the youngest, and the most fragile, newly out of rehab, both a catalyst, and a victim of excessive media attention.

The three women do not often communicate directly with each other, giving a fractured feeling to the play, appropriate to their fractured worlds. They are a strong cast, and each convince in their roles. Alice Handoll’s Polly is engaging and moving as a rebellious but vulnerable young woman. She is the only one who is worried about their mother. Penny becomes more ‘human,’ and likeable as the story develops, but Piper does not follow the expected route. It’s a tribute to Natasha Cowley that I really didn’t like her character, despite her moments of emotion as revelations pile up.

Holly Ellis’ lighting design, sometimes, having the sister who is speaking lit, while the other two remain in the shadows, works well to portray the separate struggles of the women and the lack of any true ‘sisterhood’. The voices of unseen characters, such as a talk show host, a radio presenter and Piper and Penny’s spouses work to provide context and give the women a way of telling their story. But, of course, those stories are twisted and manipulated by the media. The sister’s distant and chilly relationships fit beautifully into Charlotte Dennis’ white, contemporary set. It is hyperstylised, with a slash of red, like a torn piece of a tabloid headline and just three white blocks that the sisters sit on. The sound design, by Fuzz Guthrie is also atmospheric and abstract.

Anomaly an unsettling play that leaves the audience questioning; why do we fixate on family tragedy and the pain of others, particularly the rich and famous. And why do we still blame women who perhaps don’t speak out, or who cannot accept the reality of the male brutality that they are confronted with. Your father is still your father, if he causes serious harm to your mother. How would that feel, how would we cope if it happened in our family? Warden has raised important questions for our social media obsessed world, and Adam Small’s direction keeps the stylised world of the play on point. This play packs a punch with its timely look at an issue that has been brought to the fore by scandals like the Weinstein affair.

Reviewed by Katre

Photography by Headshot Tom

Voices From Home

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 12th November 2018

★★★½

“a varied and engaging night of promising new writing that hosts strong performances across the board”

Featuring some of the best emerging regional writers from the South East, ‘Voices from Home’ is an evening of five short plays curated by Broken Silence Theatre.

First up is ‘Sungrazer’ by Clare Reddaway. Two sisters hold very different views. One, Annika (Eleanor Crosswell) works in a nuclear power plant, unphased by its potential dangers. The other, Inga (Emma Howarth) is watching the sky for a comet with a green tail to pass overhead. Inga is desperately trying to persuade her sister not to continue working there, but to no avail so far. The narrative arch, Annika’s process of realisation, requires more time than is lent to it by this format. An extended version of this play would also allow the nuances to be pushed and explored, both within the story and within the characters who are currently predominantly stereotypical. This is a promising narrative that needs more space to be told in a genuinely complex and in depth way.

‘M** & Women’ by Sydney Stevenson imagines a dystopian future world in which all the men but one have been eliminated. We are meeting two of the guards who stand watch over the last living man. It is an interesting and topical premise, but ultimately is not sufficiently investigated. The complexities are not really found and it all feels a bit obvious. However the relationship between the two soldiers is built and developed in a really lovely way, and their rapport and sense of humour works really well.

Jo Gatford’s ‘Flying Ant Day’ is a moving picture of a struggling mother as she feels herself disappearing to the world. This is a much needed perspective cleverly interwoven with the story of a spider which she is keeping in the airing cupboard as it waits to give birth. The piece is occasionally a bit heavy handed and unfocused, but both performers (Jennifer Oliver and Emmie Spencer) are strong and engaging, carrying this promising piece of writing.

‘The Cromer Special’ is sharp, funny and the most successful piece of the night as a whole. Claudia Campbell as Maggie and Abbi Douetil as Lucy have a natural and genuine rapport onstage that makes for highly convincing performances from both of them. Their comic timing is perfect, and whilst this is, on the surface a comedy piece, this is also a play that is making poignant comments about class, education and youth.

To end the night is a monologue written by Olivia Rosenthall and performed by Isobel Eadie, entitled ‘Home Time’. What begins as a familiar account of the discomfort of the daily evening rush hour, becomes an even less comfortable account of sexual harassment on the tube. Whilst the opening mundanity lasts a little too long to remain engaging, the switch into what the monologue is really about is highly effective and very impactful, and Eadie’s performance is strong and convincing.

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 10th January 2019

★★★★

“Warden has raised important questions for our social media obsessed world”

Reviewed by Katre

Photography by Headshot Tom

Anomaly

Old Red Lion Theatre until 2nd February

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed – 12th November 2018

★★★½

“a varied and engaging night of promising new writing that hosts strong performances across the board”

Featuring some of the best emerging regional writers from the South East, ‘Voices from Home’ is an evening of five short plays curated by Broken Silence Theatre.

Voices From Home is a varied and engaging night of promising new writing that hosts strong performances across the board.

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

Voices From Home

Old Red Lion Theatre

Previously reviewed at this venue: