Phoebe Cole Archives - Page 7 of 21 - thespyinthestalls.com

★★★★

“As much as it humorously reflects on the past, this is very much a story for the now”

It’s about that time when the crème de la crème from this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe get invited to bring their show down for a London showcase. The Pleasance London venue is one such place. With a whole season of Ed Fringe triumphs coming up, Wound Up Theatre is one of the lucky few to perform again their effervescent show, It’ll Be Alt-Right On The Night. Like a pocket rocket, Matthew Greenhough moves through this (almost) one man show with velocity. With Northern charm and thought-provoking debate, this timely show is as urgent in its delivery as it is an essential illustration of today.

Greeny and Stevo have been faithful friends who’ve known each other for years. From their Sheffield school days in the late 90’s, to being angst-filled Punks living in squats and drinking nothing but Buckfast in the early 00’s. These lads have been side by side through many ups and downs. But the world has changed since those days. Hell, they’ve changed also. One’s moved to London and is a Liberal Lefty, with a cushy ‘media’ job, drinking £6 pints, whilst the other is stuck in their hometown and is downright angry at the world. As they meet up for the first time in a very long time, can they still find common ground, or will their political and social differences drive an ever-growing wedge further between them?

Greenhough is truly electric, completely wired for the 60 minute performance, hopping about the stage between the personas of Greeny and Stevo. In what appears to be a partly auto-biographical tale (Greenhough/Greeny? Too much of a coincidence?) the anecdotal nature of this non-chronological piece feels naturally told, as if coming from the top of Greenhough’s head in fragments. Although nothing really new or ground breaking is mentioned on the matter of the UK’s current fractious political divide, the beliefs of the far right and left are clearly depicted, but even these can sometimes border on the stereotypical. That being said, Stevo’s idea of ‘Conservatism is the new Punk Rock’, is certainly food for thought.

The eye-catching use of vinyl records on the floor and Steven Wright in the corner playing brilliant Jazz-Punk mash-ups on the trumpet between scene transitions, helps to reaffirm that music is the powerful bond between these two friends. However, even music struggles to finds its way as a unifier, as their ideological disparities prove to run deep.

As rough and ready as the performance feels, just like the astringent, unpolished Punk that the guys listen to, it all adds to this play’s appeal. It’s an intense experience to sit through, moving at a supersonic pace, but it hits the nail on the head on modern day life. As much as it humorously reflects on the past, this is very much a story for the now, with a serious message beneath.

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

The Open

The Space

Reviewed – 26th September 2019

★★★

“As topical and in vogue the offbeat concept is, the final execution does not live up to what it promises”

Anyone for a game of golf? Well get your clubs out and tee up, as there’s a new course in town, and it’s unlike any other seen before. The Open explores the ramifications of our near-distant future in an absurd yet unnervingly plausible fashion, but lacks an inventive story to follow the strong concept.

The year is 2050. It’s post-Brexit and Great Britain looks a little different to how we know it. Now called the GBGC (Great British Golf Course), our beloved country has been bought and taken over by the one and only Donald Trump, and turned into a mass of putting holes. It’s a bleak landscape. Protagonists Arthur (Priyank Morjaria) and Patrick (Tom Blake) are stuck in this dystopian world, despondently going about their monotonous work on the course. Arthur more diligently does what he is told, whilst Patrick yearns for the past and to see his love Jana (Heidi Niemi) again. Her unexpected return causes havoc, and with not much time to spare, gives these two men an ultimatum that will change their lives.

As topical and in vogue the offbeat concept is, the final execution does not live up to what it promises. With so much exposition to have to get across, most scenes fall flat as they become discussion based with little action ever taking place. The second half does certainly pick up pace, but writer and director Florence Bell could have created more dynamic scenarios to portray instead. At times you’re left questioning small but niggling plot holes, such as, what’s happening to the UK residents who aren’t working for the golf course? There’s also the bizarre choice of never mentioning Donald Trump, even though he is the sole reason Britain has turned into a vast manicured turf for the rich. Possibly it’s a directorial choice to only elude to him, but it simply does not work.

There is however some undoubtedly worthy attempts from Bell at examining the disparity between the rich and poor, imagining a future where the gap has become even wider. Where the UK are still reliant on people from overseas to do our low-paid jobs, and the xenophobia from Trump and Brexit’s rhetoric has exploded into awful action.

The cast try their best with putting life into the lacklustre script. In particular, Morjaria as Arthur gives a standout performance that feels truthful, with clear character progression, where others can come across one-dimensional or without real motivations.

The set design by Tom Craig is a pleasing sight. The simple but ever so effective use of green Astro turf along the whole stage immediately transports you to the artificial, Disneyland-esque perfection that the GBGC is trying to sell. The stark contrast of the stage for the second half is a nice visual indication of the murkier business that goes on underneath the corporations facade.

All in all, the whole concept just feels too big to fit into its 105 minutes running time. What strives to be an inventive new take on the dystopian-thriller genre, made popular by the likes of Black Mirror, turns out to be mostly predictable and not enthralling enough. Just like golf really.

Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed – 30th September 2019

★★★★

“As much as it humorously reflects on the past, this is very much a story for the now”

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

It’ll Be Alt-Right On The Night

Pleasance Theatre until 2nd October

Previously reviewed at this venue:

The Space

Reviewed – 26th September 2019

★★★

“As topical and in vogue the offbeat concept is, the final execution does not live up to what it promises”

The cast try their best with putting life into the lacklustre script. In particular, Morjaria as Arthur gives a standout performance that feels truthful, with clear character progression, where others can come across one-dimensional or without real motivations.

All in all, the whole concept just feels too big to fit into its 105 minutes running time. What strives to be an inventive new take on the dystopian-thriller genre, made popular by the likes of Black Mirror, turns out to be mostly predictable and not enthralling enough. Just like golf really.

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

Photography by Kit Dambite

The Open

The Space until 12th October

Previously reviewed at this venue: