Playmill New Writing Festival Archives

★★★½

“A brave and charismatic performance”

Whilst comedy has always had a hand in social commentary, the last few years have brought a new strain of honesty to the mix; shows such as Richard Gadd’s ‘Monkey See, Monkey Do’, Adam Lazarus’ ‘Daughter’ and Jessie Cave’s ‘Sunrise’ have relied more directly on personal experiences, creating a much riskier but ultimately richer and more engaging performance. ‘Oddball’ endeavours to do the same, talking at length about a subject that polite conversation dictates we circumnavigate.

Oddball has got herself a date. And this one is set to be a whole lot better than the endless duds who came before. Only thing is, it’s in a restaurant, the menu’s calorie content unknown. Which, Oddball assures us, is barely a thing. OK, it’s a bit of a thing. Actually, it’s kind of a major problem: Oddball was previously diagnosed with an eating disorder, and whilst the generally accepted narrative is that someone is diagnosed, treated and hey presto they’re cured, it’s rarely that simple.

‘Oddball’ tells a story of ongoing struggle with great humour and zeal. With director Micha Mirto opting for no props and a basic costume (shorts and a tank top), Francesca Maria Forristal (writer and performer) has nowhere to hide. She takes on the whole production, striding resolutely across the entire stage, miming any necessary accessories, including, somehow, changes in camera angles, with only a few sound effects (Jordan Clarke) to aid in her imagined creations. She is fearless in her undertaking, talking directly with the audience throughout, often bursting in to song. What’s most commendable is her effort to find the comedy in what is, no doubt, a very common and serious problem.

There’s a slight immaturity to the delivery – Forristal seems unsure whether the audience will in fact enjoy the combination of vaudeville and pathos, and recognise that there’s a difference between laughing with and laughing at affliction. But we do. It’s perhaps the only way to tell a story like this, spliced generously with laughter. The plot could also be a little pacier, maybe making room for a meatier story line, and even a second half.

A brave and charismatic performance, Forristal is clearly one to watch. Whilst she may have a way to go it’s exciting to see the beginning of what will no doubt be a long and successful venture in comedy.

Reviewed by Miriam Sallon

Photography by Chris Cox

Margot, Dame, The Most Famous Ballerina In The World

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 17th July 2019

★★★

“If allowed to, I think this piece will grow up to match the quality of Macor’s other plays“

It’s in the title. And it is fundamentally undeniable, which is probably why writer Claudio Macor has separated the dancer from the dance to focus on the lesser known events of Fonteyn’s life. Commissioned to write the piece for the King’s Head Theatre’s annual ‘Playmill’ festival of new writing, Macor has rightly refused merely to tell us what we already know. Here we see Margot Fonteyn reinventing herself as a cattle rancher, we learn some of the reasons she kept on dancing long after she should have stopped. We get snapshots of her childhood and her relationship with her mother. And at its heart is her marriage to Roberto (Tito) Arias, the serial adulterer and dodgy Panamanian politician.

But at barely an hour long we don’t really feel the pulse of this story. We are, in fact, left wanting it to be massaged into life and given the prospect of a long and healthy future. Even given the limitations of being part of a festival, “Margot, Dame” feels underdeveloped. Thankfully we are aided by a back projection informing us when and where we are in the action as the narrative jumps about chronologically. We have fewer pointers, however, to help us decide whether we are watching a comedy or an earnest piece of drama.

Abigail Moore gives an assured portrayal of the eponymous Fonteyn. An unenviable task but she mixes the imposed affectations of the grand dame with the down to earth girl from Reigate. Neat touches such as the origin of her stage name (“… named after a hairdresser’s on Tottenham Court Road…”) season the exposition with a bit of spice. Fanos Xenofos has more scope for dramatic licence as the husband, ‘Tito’. It was a complicated relationship, and Xenofos’ performance only occasionally hints at the mystique of the man that Fonteyn had to put up with. After a failed coup to oust the President of Panama, Tito escapes and returns to Peru. Margot is arrested for her involvement in her husband’s botched attempt at gun-smuggling. When Tito was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life after an assassination attempt, Margot uses up all her savings to care for him – one of the main reasons she continued to dance so late into her life.

The story is not so much sidestepped as danced over lightly. It is a fascinating angle on Fonteyn’s life and one that refreshingly avoids the obvious. But, as if worried that the audience might lose interest, director Robert McWhir and choreographer Robbie O’Reilly have shoehorned flourishes of ballet to cover the scene changes and time shifts, which dilute rather than add flavour.

But one mustn’t lose sight of the purpose of the Playmill Festival at the King’s Head, which is a vital platform for new writing. “Margot, Dame…” has only two performances in which to reveal its essence. As Fonteyn herself famously said; “… the first night is the worst possible time to make a hard and fast criticism: the baby never looks its best on the day it is born…” If allowed to, I think this piece will grow up to match the quality of Macor’s other plays.

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 20th July

★★★½

“A brave and charismatic performance”

A brave and charismatic performance, Forristal is clearly one to watch. Whilst she may have a way to go it’s exciting to see the beginning of what will no doubt be a long and successful venture in comedy.

Reviewed by Miriam Sallon

Photography by Chris Cox

Oddball

King’s Head Theatre as part of Playmill New Writing Festival. Then at Upstairs at the Gatehouse from 20th – 24th August

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 17th July 2019

★★★

“If allowed to, I think this piece will grow up to match the quality of Macor’s other plays“

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Peter Davies

Margot, Dame, The Most Famous Ballerina In The World

King’s Head Theatre until 18th July as part of Playmill New Writing Festival

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: