Tag Archives: Peter Silva

Boujie

Boujie
★★★½

Drayton Arms Theatre

Boujie

Boujie

Drayton Arms Theatre

Reviewed – 22nd November 2018

★★★½

“an incredibly promising production, entertaining and topical, that just requires some streamlining to fulfil its potential”

 

Devin (played by Hassan Govia who also wrote the piece) has just moved into his new apartment. There’s Veuve Clicquot to greet his four friends, as they arrive one by one. Everyone has to put slippers on and there’s no smoking indoors. But Devin’s newfound wealth hasn’t just upgraded his postcode, and the play examines the impact of money on personal relationships, romantic, familial and platonic.

It is a play that deals with race, class and money whilst still making its audience laugh. The news is also touched upon, regarding what it is and what it should be. Even Brexit is mentioned. It is certainly a play situated very much within our contemporary political and social context, without coming across as heavy handed or didactic.

Unshaded Arts is a theatre company who work to put on new plays that centre marginalised voices, co-founded by Cristal Cole, Hassan Govia and Chiedza Rwodzi. This is their first production as a company and it is a really strong start. The actors are consistently convincing across the board. Cristal Cole as Giselle, Devin’s sister, is a welcome late addition to the cast, arriving with an infectious pace and energy. Maria Yarjah as Joslyn and Natali Servat as Dahlia are equally strong and each cast member brings something different to the stage. There is something lacking in their overall coming together, but this is surely something that will tighten up over the course of the run.

Hassan Govia’s writing is engaging and nuanced and shows clear skill. Boujie does go on a little too long for a one act piece, and there are moments that feel unnecessary and border on the repetitive. However this is still an undeniably successful piece of writing that simply requires some editing. The intermediary musical moments do not work. The music is too quiet and the energy drops in these moments.

This is an incredibly promising production, entertaining and topical, that just requires some streamlining to fulfil its potential.

 

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

Photography by Alessa Davidson

 

Drayton Arms Theatre

Boujie

Drayton Arms Theatre until 8th December

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:
Are There Female Gorillas? | ★★★★ | April 2018
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | ★★★★ | May 2018
No Leaves on my Precious Self | ★★ | July 2018
The Beautiful Game | ★★★ | August 2018
Baby | ★★ | October 2018
Jake | ★★★ | October 2018
Love, Genius and a Walk | | October 2018

 

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

 

Breathe – 3.5 Stars

Breathe

Breathe

Lion & Unicorn Theatre

Reviewed – 1st February 2018

★★★½

“a promising script with a capable cast”

 

Breathe, written and directed by Lucrezia Pollice, tells the story of Maria, an aspiring writer in her twenties, who spends her days working in a cafe and battling her mental health issues. The play takes place in the flat which Maria shares with her friends, Eddie and Rachel. There’s also Maria’s troubled friend, Sophie, who, to the annoyance of Eddie and Rachel, frequently crashes at the flat. The play centres around the relationships between Eddie, Rachel, and Maria, in particular how Eddie and Rachel deal with Maria’s depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.

The acting is good overall. Peter Silva (Eddie) and Olivia Valler-Feltham (Rachel) are convincing as the well-meaning, but exhausted housemates trying to help their self-destructive friend. Zoe Templeman-Young (Maria) gives an authentic performance as a young woman battling her demons. Tamzin Murray plays Maria’s brash and irritating friend, Sophie, and does an admirable job with this difficult character.

Unfortunately, the audience missed a great deal of the acting as it was often difficult to see the actors. Much of the action takes place on a sofa towards the front of the stage which, unless you are in the front row, is very difficult to see.

The best part about Breathe is the story. Stories about mental health often focus on the impact on families or partners – it is less common to see a story like this, one about the effect on housemates and friends. Unfortunately, the original concept is not enough to make this a strong script. The dialogue is, for the most part, natural and engaging, but there’s a lack of structure which makes it difficult to follow the story.

Another element which lets down the thought-provoking story is the lighting and sound. Many scenes are extremely short and almost all end with a jarring blackout. This, coupled with the use of projections, make the play feel more like a short film than a piece of theatre. That being said, there are instances where the projections work well and add to the story, but the style is inconsistent, which is distracting. As for the music, the songs chosen seem to have no clear connection to the story. Sometimes it seems as if the music is intended to show the passage of time, for example several Christmas songs are played towards the end, but no mention of Christmas is made by the characters.

Overall, this is a promising script with a capable cast; the structure and staging simply need more work to make it the play the story deserves.

 

Reviewed for thespyinthestalls.com

 


Breathe

Lion & Unicorn Theatre until 2nd February

 

 

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