Pleasance Theatre Archives - Page 10 of 28

Escape From Planet Trash

Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed – 21st November 2019

★★★

“combines drag, sci-fi and innuendo galore to create the perfect foil for the abundance of family-friendly shows on for the holidays”

It is the year 2050. Earth is no more and is instead known as Planet Trash, the dumping ground for the entire universe. East London drag queen Ginger Johnson and her 28-year-old son Sonny (David Cumming) are its last survivors and spend their days foraging through rubbish. That is until an impending solar flare threatens to obliterate the planet and a discarded weapon that the Intergalactic Government is desperate to get its hands on. Cue the arrival of the Captain of the Star Corp voyager (Mairi Houston) and the ambiguously gendered Private P. P. Parts (Mahatma Khandi).

Their quest, however, soon turns sour when an army of mutant turkeys decide to seek revenge on the human race for having eaten them at Christmases past. Now, it’s up to Ginger and Sonny to save the day and stop the eradication of mankind. Sink the Pink’s brand-new seasonal production Escape From Planet Trash combines drag, sci-fi and innuendo galore to create the perfect foil for the abundance of family-friendly shows on for the holidays.

Johnson and Cumming are the strongest in their roles, with the former having no trouble working the crowd. The rest of the cast sadly do not always seem sure of themselves or their lines. The plot that is set up in the play’s opening scenes is unfortunately rather quickly forgotten. Loose ends are rife in this production and the solar flare and ever-so-important weapon hardly get a look-in.

There are some moments of serious commentary. The play reflects on the climate crisis and capitalist greed and drag artists Maxi More and Lavinia Co-op join the cast as two dark tourists travelling the galaxy. Silliness however wins out in Escape From Planet Trash but without a solid narrative – which Ginger in fact jokes about the play needing – it is hard to be fully invested.

The set is multi-tiered with characters able to ascend and descend several sets of stairs. This makes for some dynamic visuals even when little else is happening on stage. To the left of the stage, the entrance to a sewer pipe and, above it, the interior of Star Corp’s spaceship. To the right, the tin shack house of Ginger and Sonny complete with rooftop terrace and light-up HOME sign. The centre of the stage sits on a rotating platform which allows for some great reveals such as Lavinia tap dancing as the Johnson’s home spins around. The set did pose a few hiccups including the shack’s door swinging open unexpectedly and revealing actors preparing for the next scene.

The lighting (Clancy Flynn) is solid throughout and used atmospherically. Costumes (Julia Smith) are a lot of fun with Ginger wearing a particularly ostentatious white plastic see through mesh bodysuit with a clear plastic overcoat.

The musical direction (Sarah Bodalbhai) is overall very strong. A rendition of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Monty Python’s Life of Brian (which the cast sing to a literal piece of shit played by Lavinia) that ends with a reference to the ‘dis-gus-tang’ video meme is a definite highlight. All the songs are a real blast though the cast do struggle to get the audience to sing along even at moments which beg for it. A finale song would also be good to round off the show in true pantomime fashion.

Escape From Planet Trash is a barrel of laughs and as silly as it is campy. Though the production lacks polish at times, you would be hard-pressed to not enjoy Sink the Pink’s newest endeavour.

Reviewed by Flora Doble

Photography by Ali Wright

Escape From Planet Trash

Pleasance Theatre until 22nd December

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

The Accident Did Not Take Place | ★★ | October 2019

The Fetch Wilson | ★★★★ | October 2019

The Hypnotist | ★★½ | October 2019

The Perfect Companion | ★★★★ | October 2019

The Unseen Hour | ★★★★ | October 2019

Endless Second | ★★★ | November 2019

Heroin(e) For Breakfast | ★★★★★ | November 2019

Land Of My Fathers And Mothers And Some Other People | ★★★★ | November 2019

Madame Ovary | ★★★★★ | November 2019

Wireless Operator | ★★★★ | November 2019

Click here to see our most recent reviews

★★★★

“The sadness and the poignancy are shattering, and the vocal shrapnel pierces you with countless questions”

Next year, 2020, will mark the 75th anniversary of the ending of WW2. It will be a time of reflection and remembrance. A commemoration currently in the foreground of our minds days after this year’s Remembrance Sunday. But of the military services (and civilians) who are remembered each year, it is only recently that the members of Bomber Command have been recognised. In the immediate aftermath of the second world war, Churchill made no reference to them when praising all those who had contributed to victory, and for a long time the muddied waters of history washed over their sacrifice. While films and stories have glamorised the harsh reality of serving as an airman in Bomber Command, politicians have been keen to distance themselves from the unresolved and ambiguous morality of the bombing raids.

It is this double-barrelled conflict that is beautifully touched upon in Bob Baldwin and Max Kinning’s play, “Wireless Operator”. On the surface it is a thrilling wartime nail-biter, but it leaves a vapour trail that haunts, as it dissipates its poignancy into the night. Based on Baldwin’s own father’s experiences the play focuses on the eponymous wireless operator; a pacifist plucked from everyday life and turned into a killer. His tour of duty is thirty missions, and this is his last one. On average an airman would only survive five. As the plane heads across the channel towards Germany the young operator recalls his life back at home, his fiancée, his imminent fatherhood and recent childhood, the Tommy Dorsey music that played on his gramophone, football games in the Mile End streets. A warm jet stream of nostalgia, fiercely punctured by the cold realisation that he’s about to obliterate many, many lives just like his own friends and family.

Thomas Dennis portrays the sheer complexity of emotions with brilliant accuracy, whilst capturing the white-knuckle fear and ear-splitting danger of the flight, tempered by the camaraderie of the rest of his crew. Dennis is alone onstage, perched in designer Kit Line’s ingenious aircraft – a contraption lifted from a Heath Robinson drawing – that moves in rhythm to Phil Maguire’s blistering, flak-filled soundtrack. Merged into the soundscape is the unseen supporting cast who, through voiceover, reinforces the nightmare hidden beneath the light-hearted banter and camaraderie that keeps them going throughout the mission. But essentially this is a powerful solo performance; the sweat on Dennis’ brow is not just from the arc lights.

Played out almost in real time this is a breathless sixty minutes of theatre, during which the aircraft’s engines occasionally cut out and, with just the gliding sound of the wind, moments of reflection are given space. The sadness and the poignancy are shattering, and the vocal shrapnel pierces you with countless questions. Before the flight the wireless operator kisses a photograph of Rita Hayworth for luck. During the flight he kisses the bible while looking up to the heavens and asking, “Whose side are you on anyway?” That kind of says it all.

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed – 21st November 2019

★★★

“combines drag, sci-fi and innuendo galore to create the perfect foil for the abundance of family-friendly shows on for the holidays”

The lighting (Clancy Flynn) is solid throughout and used atmospherically. Costumes (Julia Smith) are a lot of fun with Ginger wearing a particularly ostentatious white plastic see through mesh bodysuit with a clear plastic overcoat.

Escape From Planet Trash is a barrel of laughs and as silly as it is campy. Though the production lacks polish at times, you would be hard-pressed to not enjoy Sink the Pink’s newest endeavour.

Reviewed by Flora Doble

Photography by Ali Wright

Escape From Planet Trash

Pleasance Theatre until 22nd December

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed – 14th November 2019

★★★★

“The sadness and the poignancy are shattering, and the vocal shrapnel pierces you with countless questions”

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Wireless Operator

Pleasance Theatre until 16th November

Previously reviewed at this venue: