Black Cat Theatre offered up an assortment of Christmas themed treats in their Millennials showcase. Charting the perils of boozing, bedding, family values and other tortures there was a great variety of work on offer.
As with all shows of this nature, it was a bit of a mixed bag. There were some real gems – notably “Christmas Time, Mistletoe and Whine” by Rhiannon Owens and “NPBD” (No Porn before Dawn) by Alexandria MacLeod. Owens’ piece was warm and funny, with some stinging observations on millennial life, while MacLeod showcased some cutting, yet hilarious insights into man’s relationship with porn. My favourite piece of the evening was Jack Gogarty & Joe Morrow’s ‘A Look at Bedtime’, a romantic yet unsentimental and witty tale of two new fathers. Performed by the writers, this is clearly a partnership to keep an eye out for. However some of the other pieces felt clunky and uneven. “Lonely this Christmas” had heart but the script was uncoordinated, saved by the strength of Abby Wilson and Alex Di Cuffa’s touching performances. There was also the macabre “Season’s Greetings”, that while energetically performed, seemed to lose sight of its own story.
The entire evening was elevated by some lively performances. Lauren Cooney was an exciting blast of energy in the second half, while Rob Leach was a loveable slob. Devora Wilde and Jonathan Jude in “After” elevated what was an overly verbose post break up conflict, into a gripping, sexy and very funny showdown. Olivia Thompson was a spirited start to the show and Max Cavenham lifted the opening of the second half. The night was far from perfect, but with shows like this, a certain element of the rough and ready is to be expected and across the board, the cast did themselves proud.
My main concern about the evening wasn’t so much in the content, more in the concept. For a Christmas themed showcase entitled Millennials, there was little consistency in the pieces. Not all reflected millennial issues, nor were written by millennial writers. There was (and granted this was not deliberate), a notable lack of diversity in the performers and crew. I think this is an exciting and talented young company, but I don’t know what their agenda is or the type of theatre that they want to represent. I would love to see them find a stronger tone of voice because I think once they decide upon their identity, they could accomplish great work. I will certainly be keeping them on my radar.
“Lawrence articulates to the audience a character with steely determination and an innate inner strength”
Hailed by some as the best play of the last hundred years, I was excited to see this performance. The story follows a mother who is determined to make a living and protect her children through the barbaric Thirty Years’ War by any means available to her.
The scene is immediately set as you are led into the auditorium by ushers dressed as soldiers. The stage is a central walkway with seating on either side. As you enter, a boy is playing centre stage with toy soldiers alongside Barney George’s set of scaffolding, dirty tarpaulin, rope and smoke, illustrating the desolate landscape of war.
Part of the staging (and large portions of the play) are performed on a mezzanine level behind one half of the audience. If you are sat on this side it is almost impossible to watch without straining your neck or annoying the person next to you! This I felt was a strange decision from director Hannah Chissick and actually unnecessary as the main performance on the central stage and aisles worked well.
Josie Lawrence puts on a strong performance as Mother Courage. She articulates to the audience a character with steely determination and an innate inner strength that enables her to survive and adapt to whatever the war torn environment throws at her. She displays a huge range of emotions from deepest sadness to frustrated anger and uses quick witted humour to build relationships and diffuse dangerous situations. It is a remarkable feat given that she is centre stage for much of the 3 hours of the production.
Phoebe Vigor who plays Kattrin shows off her acting abilities by giving a stand out performance as the mute daughter. Using only facial expressions you feel her emotion and heartache without her actually uttering a word. You sense the depth of her helplessness and frustration whenever she sets foot on stage.
Laura Checkley playing Yvette brings life to the stage as the loud quick-witted prostitute. She commands the stage with a swagger and a sharp tongue that leaves the men she encounters a quivering wreck.
I enjoyed the performance but felt that something was lacking … perhaps not being able to see some of the acting didn’t help? It was also very long. Too long. To keep the audience engaged for the full 3 hours it needs to have much greater pace and stronger performances from the supporting actors.
