William Nash Archives - Page 6 of 10

★★★★★

“The script builds a rhythmic, repetitive quality that creates the tension and danger”

Condensing a great calamity can only really have one of two outcomes; the work can trivialise that time in history and make it smaller, or it can personalise it, making it somehow bigger. Beast on the Moon, written by Richard Kalinoski and directed by Jelena Budimir achieves the latter and, in its first time in London for twenty years, animates the tragedy and consequences of the Armenian Genocide through the striking lives of three deep characters.

The story follows the life of Aram (George Jovanovic) and Seta (Zarima McDermott) Tomasian who begin as a couple married through a mail-order bride service; Seta escaping an orphanage at just fifteen and Aram trying to begin living out what he believes is his ideal and duty-bound domestic lifestyle. Despite both being survivors of the same genocide and their shared culture, each clash together through the tumult of immigration and childlessness. As they grow into their relationship, a different type of orphan, Vincent (Hayward B Morse), enters between the couple and exposes the repressed grief that haunts Aram and encloses Seta.

The three actors step carefully through what is undeniably a complex and slow script; each of the three takes their time with careful characterisation both within and across each scene as the characters grow up and grow together. The script builds a rhythmic, repetitive quality that creates the tension and danger between the present married couple and emanating from their individual pasts.

All three actors give tremendously thoughtful and committed performances throughout the evening as they skillfully incorporate the shifts in age and innocence the characters undergo. McDermott, in particular, grows Seta from a traumatised and stunted girl lost in a new country into a capable woman who, whilst performing a traditional female role of emotional foil to her male counterpart, delivers personal strength and resilience.

The Finborough Theatre plays host to this production with its usual intimacy; a bare set and a tense audio overlay help build scenes out of pregnant silences into climactic releases. Aram’s photography streams into a production that forces the audience to think about what drives someone to record the present as they try to overwrite their past.

No play about an almost recent genocide is an easy ride. Beast on the Moon is challenging both with its subject matter, but also through the relationships on stage, which don’t give way to hyper-modern sensibilities on gender and age. A profound and well-articulated play that speaks to the power of meaningful individual stories told with commitment and bravery.

Reviewed by William Nash

Photography by Scott Rylander

Welcome to the UK

The Bunker

Reviewed – 25th January 2019

★★

“a surreal and politically simple mix of moments which fail to deliver either laughs or insights”

Walking down into the Bunker Theatre in Southwark, you’re greeted by a “UK Passports to the right, EU to the left” sign above the door, and are handed a raffle ticket by a faux-bearskin-guard on entering the theatre proper. Then you sit down on some balloons, surrounded by a ribboned set surrounded by sketches and collages across the back walls. A strange and confusing introduction to a strange and confusing show.

Welcome to the UK, directed by Sophie NL Besse of PSYCHEdelight, studies the life of refugees and immigrants to the UK, and extrudes these ideas through a malformed mould which was obviously once meant to resemble a carnival. In theory, the joyous song, dance and performance on stage juxtaposes against the unhappy reality many new arrivals face to create a biting satire; in reality, the show is a surreal and politically simple mix of moments which fail to deliver either laughs or insights.

The authenticating foundation of having real refugees as actors ultimately subsides because, although many refugees can deliver the performance and presence necessary (think The Jungle at Playhouse Theatre), in Welcome to the UK these actors are not telling their own personal stories, but are almost always corralled into playing on-stage refugees. The actors are neither explored as real stories nor trusted as professional versatile actors.

It’s hard to find a substantial guiding light as the different pieces pass by the audience with scene changes you could park a car in; drag queens give way to a Gollum-like creature, followed by an emotional phone call entirely in Arabic, then back to the drag queen or a strange cloud-headed Theresa May. It only gets more dreamlike with pantomime scenes about Popeye, versions of Romeo and Juliet, and a bit where the song ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ makes ISIS executioners drop their knives and dance into backstage. The carnival theme doesn’t just bulge at the seams, it bursts wide open at the climactic scene where a sinking boat in a storm is the not-so-subtle metaphor for a post-Brexit Britain.

It’s worth noting that the music was clever and versatile plus the singing brought many scenes the energy and professionalism they so badly needed. Reading the programme was almost as cryptic as the show, so this writer, unfortunately, can’t give credit where it’s due, but the actress playing our cloud-headed PM gave a brilliantly tight and skilled performance with an energetic and intimidating character, wonderful accordion playing and an exceptional vocal performance.

Ultimately, Welcome to the UK, fails where it has politics, but not performance. Like a cart with the horse set behind it, this show cannot keep a straight path but continuously veers outwards towards everything from Titanic-references to a funny joke about Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. Political Theatre has a long and illustrious history and left-wing Political Theatre in particular but Dario Fo this is not.

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed – 31st January 2019

★★★★★

“The script builds a rhythmic, repetitive quality that creates the tension and danger”

Reviewed by William Nash

Photography by Scott Rylander

Beast on the Moon

Finborough Theatre until 23rd February

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

The Bunker

Reviewed – 25th January 2019

★★

“a surreal and politically simple mix of moments which fail to deliver either laughs or insights”

Reviewed by William Nash

Photography by José Farinha

Welcome to the UK

The Bunker until 16th February

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: