“It’s a funny world when the only thing two friends agree on is the hideousness of wet bread”
You know you’re in for some serious political eccentricity when you walk into a theatre and are greeted by various colourful picketing signs – ‘save our badgers!’, ‘my body, my rules’, ‘meat is murder’ …
Adele is a young, strong willed and opinionated character, traits that could get her very far in life. However, she is one of ‘those people’, we all know the type, that one friend you have that insists you get on board with their political and environmental views. The friend in question will never hound you into changing your own views but will subtly remind you that your actions and beliefs are wrong and that you are solely responsible for the destruction of society and, of course, the planet.
But you still love this friend and take it all with a pinch of salt because after all, they can get themselves into some awfully funny situations.
From the romance that goes wrong – Adele’s inability to understand why her date isn’t Vegan – to her attempt at inviting a homeless man to share her home, this comedy focuses on the young people of today who are passionate about changing the planet but can’t really do anything about the state of their own lives.
Writer Tom Glover (finalist in the BBC Writers Prize for radio and the joint winner of the BBC Trans comedy award) cleverly incorporates many characters into this one-woman show.
Morag Sims plays the character of Adele but also the characters of Adele’s mother, best friend, whiny niece, love-interest, homeless acquaintance, fellow protestors and more. The versatility Sims shows is incredible and the ease at which she moves from one accent to the next is both impressive and utterly hilarious.
What is poignant throughout this production is the juxtaposition between Adele’s comedic every day life and the seriousness of her mother’s cancer. It asks the audience the question, why are so many people fighting monumental world issues when they don’t even have time to look after a sick family member? Do we really have our priorities right? Can we actually do anything about the state of the world?
Adele not only sacrifices her relationship with her mother but also the other people in her life. A concerned friend, baffled by Adele’s political interests, finds that one day over lunch the only thing two friends agree on is the hideousness of … wet bread.
“Escape 2 invites the audience on a journey of awareness of what’s going on in the world”
In the intimate setting of the Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell, a lone dancer (Trinity Laban graduate, Natalie Taylor) waits on the stage to begin a powerful and demanding story about the social, political and psychological challenges that refugees face in order to begin a new life on new shores.
Joined by fellow dancers Shiloh Scyner (Laban graduate) and Joanna Puchala (Artistic Director) – the trio perform a series of solo, duet and ensemble pieces, each highlighting an area of significance.
The use of one single prop – the suitcase – speaks volumes during the performance. The dancers use the suitcase within the choreography, at times giving the impression that it may be swept away at any point – symbolising how quickly and easily people can be left with no belongings, no crucial documents and no family or friends.
The piece is advertised as an ‘Aerial dance performance’ and this means that the majority of the time the choreography involves almost acrobatic moves, balancing from long pieces of fabric which are then tied in order to support the dancers. Connected by a single pole in the centre of the stage, the surrounding fabric is replaced with a different colour at a few points – the white portraying an almost angelic, innocent story, whilst the deep purple has darker and more dangerous connotations.
For me, the piece was made extremely powerful by the original score, composed by Stefano Guzzetti (Conservatory G.P Da Palestrina graduate). The contemporary and almost minimalist score was very reminiscent of film composer Yann Tiersen and also Cinematic Orchestra, a heavy use of strings with rich harmonies evoked many conflicting emotions.
About half way through the piece, the audience are shown a very short film (graphic design and video projection by Lidhka Inga) in which a young girl remembers when she fled her country with her family and some of the difficulties they had to face. This brief interlude allowed the audience to absorb the interpretive dance and put it into context, I believe this was a very refreshing choice as there were a few times where the story within the dance wasn’t extremely clear.
Overall, Escape 2 is a work that demands superb control and stamina from the performers and they did not fail to deliver this.
