Tag Archives: Soho Theatre

Peter Smith’s Diana

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Soho Theatre

PETER SMITH’S DIANA at the Soho Theatre

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Peter Smith's Diana - Peter in black leather jacket seated

“Smith is best when funny – their quips are witty and well timed – but these moments are few and far between.”

 

Peter Smith’s DIANA is probably the most confusing show I’ve ever seen. Primarily because I don’t know who it’s meant for – certainly not lovers of the late princess or those interested in the impact of her persona. The performance is too wild, too unkept, for their liking. The genre too is muddled – are we watching cabaret, comedy, experimental theatre, spoken word, interpretive dance? Throughout the β€˜play’ (and I use that word lightly), the audience is subjected to all sorts of…stuff…with no one thing ever reflected on long enough to really pack a punch.

The show has a promising start. Smith walks casually onto stage – the house lights still up – and speaks about their interest in Diana’s lost voice – a woman so visible yet so silenced. They rattle off four quotes from secret interviews which personally resonate with him. Logically, it is assumed that these four quotes will form four acts within the performance, a tether through which to always ground the performance in the life of the People’s Princess.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Two of the aforementioned quotes feature in Smith’s winding monologue but there is no structure, no clear link. Recognisable mantras do not tie the piece together but rather offer the audience some respite – finally, something we understand! That is not to say that there is anything wrong with something interpretive, but Smith’s piece is so unrelenting, so lacking in moments of reflection, that it makes it hard to not be anything other than completely baffled. In one brief moment of silence after a particularly vigorous rant, a loud β€˜what?’ was heard from the front row which perfectly summed it all up, to be honest.

There are recurrent themes – death, the ego, bodily autonomy – which, with some squinting, you can relate to the late Princess of Wales. Smith’s character in itself is confusing. Are they Diana? Are they a married woman of two children, as they proclaim? Presumably, their shifting persona is to highlight the many different groups who saw Diana as their icon. However, with no distinction, even in body language, no one perspective ever comes into view.

Positively, Smith’s energy is hugely impressive. The show’s pace is high, and their speech impassioned. They jump into song with ease – they have a terrific voice – though the ditties’ relevance can’t always be deciphered. One was about women on Sundays. No, I don’t know either! Smith is best when funny – their quips are witty and well timed – but these moments are few and far between.

Five florescent light sticks create the impression of a set and props. They are a boat, a bedroom, a cigarette, a microphone. They change colour – from harsh white to warm orange to aggressive red – and flash and strobe when Smith’s ego is challenged. One assumes that the lights represent the new light shone on Diana’s life through her clandestine interviews but, like Smith’s unclear character, this is metaphor is lost amongst all the other random musings.

Costume changes are abundant. There is a certain erotism to their regular undressing – for much of the performance, Smith is shirtless in lace pantyhose – and they at one point writhe around on a makeshift bed before throwing hot wax on their leg to signify semen. Their best outfit is a puffy white gown – at first thought to be Diana’s famous wedding dress but actually more akin to a vintage clown costume. Spectacle is certainly a notable theme throughout – there is an interesting discussion on the relationship between performer and audience – but it is unfortunately another weak musing amongst a lot of unrelated drivel.

In short, what does Peter Smith’s DIANA really say? There’s certainly a lot of words and countless topics discussed – TikTok, AIDS, Barbra Streisand, paedophilia, phones – but what we should pay heed to is completely unclear. The links to Princess Diana are tenuous it feels almost insulting to use her name in its title. Proceed with caution – this is probably not the show for you!

 

Reviewed on 18th July 2023

by Flora Doble

Photography by Harry Elletson

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

 

Bloody Elle | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | July 2023
Britanick | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | February 2023
Le Gateau Chocolat: A Night at the Musicals | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | January 2023
Welcome Home | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | January 2023
Super High Resolution | β˜…β˜…β˜… | November 2022
We Were Promised Honey! | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | November 2022
Hungry | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | July 2022
Oh Mother | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | July 2022
Y’Mam | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | May 2022
An Evening Without Kate Bush | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | February 2022

 

Click here to read all our latest reviews

 

Bloody Elle

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Soho Theatre

BLOODY ELLE at the Soho Theatre

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Lauryn Redding in Bloody Elle. Photo by Lottie Amor

“The audience are putty in her hand as Redding navigates along the highs and lows”

 

You should expect to leave Bloody Elle having fallen in love with β€˜Elle’. Lauryn Redding, who wrote and stars, has created a superb one woman β€˜gig musical’ show fizzing with life, music and humour.

Elle is a regular teenager who lives in a northern city in 2009, with home a tower block apartment that she shares with her mum. She escapes the daily monotony of working at her local β€˜Chips and Dips’ shop by writing songs on her guitar. But then Eve starts working next to her on the counter, and her whole world changes. In many ways this is a classic Romeo and Juliet, both-side-of-the-tracks story, but the sensitive exploration of class and queerness ensures this still feels fresh.

Redding flips between roles as she tells Elle’s story, affecting comedic tell-tale mannerisms and accents to clearly differentiate colleagues, friends, her mother, and Eve. Although these characterisations initially feel slightly forced, Redding relaxes into the role so that transitions become smooth. Several characters stand out: Elle’s dour, Welsh Chips and Dips manager, and Eve’s Patsy Stone-like mother elicit laughs every time they appear. As Elle, Redding flirts outrageously with the audience, and it is impossible to resist her charm.

The music is the beating heart of this piece. Redding uses clever looping to create beautiful soundscapes with just her voice and guitar, occasionally supported by pre-recorded backing tracks in the same style (Alexandra Faye Braithwaite supports with Sound Design and Additional Composition). There are more musical snippets than full songs which keeps the piece bouncing along at speed. Redding’s strength is her lyricism, which is always fully consistent with Elle’s character, and she enunciates with such clarity and energy that you do not miss a moment. The audience are putty in her hand as Redding navigates along the highs and lows of a revolutionary first love, erotic sighs and choice vocal effects building exquisite tension to back β€˜moment moments’. Redding is a supremely talented singer, comfortable in big, ballad-like moments as well as sensitive, softer songs.

The direction (Bryony Shanahan) is smart, with a sequence where Elle first enters Eve’s house particularly notable for some excellent physical humour, and great lighting effects (Mark Distin Webster).

Redding hops nimbly around a simple stage set on three raised levels, plain black but with splatters of white paint that are reminiscent of ubiquitous early social media β€˜emo’ wallpapers. It is beautifully 2009. The platforms are set up like a back-of-pub gig with Elle’s guitars and mic stands spread between them. When singing, Redding uses mics to strong effect to add echoes and reverberations, but moves freely between them, not relying on amplification for spoken passages between songs that have the rhythm and thrust of spoken word poetry.

Though the majority of the action takes place in the late noughties, this is framed top and tail with present day Elle looking back, a decade on. The Unprologue is a cleverly meta introduction to the themes in the piece, though the ending contrasts this and the rest of the show with its β€˜unproduced’ feel. Elle almost steps outside character to deliver a diatribe against suppression in all forms. This isn’t subtle by any means, but Elle has built up so much goodwill that she can spend a little time on a soapbox.

 

Reviewed on 13th July 2023

by Rosie Thomas

Photography by Lotti Amor

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

 

Britanick | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | February 2023
Le Gateau Chocolat: A Night at the Musicals | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | January 2023
Welcome Home | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | January 2023
Super High Resolution | β˜…β˜…β˜… | November 2022
We Were Promised Honey! | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | November 2022
Hungry | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | July 2022
Oh Mother | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | July 2022
Y’Mam | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | May 2022
An Evening Without Kate Bush | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | February 2022

 

Click here to read all our latest reviews