The Interpretation of Dreams

The Bunker

Reviewed – 12th November

★★★

“unfortunately, it left some a little baffled and others perhaps clapping along in the hope that they had ‘got’ the play”

It’s difficult to like a play you don’t understand, it’s even harder when the play doesn’t want to be understood. The Interpretation of Dreams by Monkhead theatre, at the Bunker Theatre, is a cryptic collection of five short pieces based on the Sigmund Freud’s seminal work: The Interpretation of Dreams. The work has been put together in a week by a group of young actors, directors and writers, and reflects their commitment to interesting, tight but befuddling theatre.

Three of the four storylines (making up four of the five pieces) sit comfortably against one another as dreamlike sequences exploring what a dream can mean and should mean and how those dreams can interact with our waking life. The final piece had a lot to say about consumerism and how ideas are captured and bottled, but it so much an appendix that it just confused matters further. The pieces are interspersed with thought-provoking and interesting audiovisual content from Josh Field; carrying an unsettling and disjunctive tone that leaves the audience in a dream-like state without labouring the analogy. A helpful image from the source material of repressed memory as an unruly audience member helps guide the audience into what is otherwise a relatively unclear play.

The set and lighting work well and with each piece set in the same white bourgeois kitchen, it gives them that perfect sense of disconnection from space – deepening the sense that we are right now in a dream. The lighting is congruent and creative if not original with handheld torches being used as much as the house lighting.

‘Clever’ plays don’t lend themselves to kind reviews, and this was a ‘clever’ play – in fact, it was oddly self-aware that some audience members really weren’t getting what was going on. At times the jerky physical theatre and unclear script felt like it was confusing in the hope that this would be interpreted as deep, which left this audience member feeling deeply ignorant. There was a wonderfully poignant representation of anxiety in Would You Let a Stranger Wake You Up? but this was set against the confusing movement which left you thinking that Frued’s work was less inspiration and more required reading.

The quality of acting was genuinely good across the board and stood out in Irma’s Injection in particular. Joshua Jacob (Josh) was noticeable for his enjoyment and energy in a part that would have been boringly cryptic without it.

What this play had in thoughtfulness it lacked in clarity. Perhaps this was an attempt to mirror the source material or caused by an authentic unwillingness to dictate to the audience. Though unfortunately, it left some a little baffled and others perhaps clapping along in the hope that they had ‘got’ the play. Maybe one day these words right now will be mocked by scholars who get to the bottom of the play, but for now, it’s impossible to truly enjoy a show which you can’t break the encryption of.

Reviewed by William Nash

Photography courtesy Monkhead Theatre

The Interpretation of Dreams

The Bunker – additional date 19th November

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Devil With the Blue Dress | ★★ | April 2018

Reboot:Shorts | ★★★ | April 2018

Libby’s Eyes | ★★★★ | June 2018

Nine Foot Nine | ★★★★ | June 2018

No One is Coming to Save You | ★★★★ | June 2018

Reboot: Shorts 2 | ★★★★ | October 2018

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

★★★★★

“when it comes to great musical theatre it’s better to say “I’ll know it when I see it” and with Beauty and The Beast you’re looking at it”

Beauty and The Beast at the King’s Head Theatre stands as a testament that when theatre is funny, rehearsed and joyous not much else matters. Robyn Grant (writer and The Beast) and Daniel Elliot (writer) leave one the most generous pub theatres in London feeling selfish as the show bursts at the seams with energy, comedy and wit. Beauty and The Beast is billed as a trendy gender-swapped version of the classic fairy tale but immediately it throws off these constraints and shows itself as a brilliant musical satire of the Islington set with some unmatched comic performances.

At the centre of the show is a knowing, contemporary book and lyrics from Grant and Elliot and obviously supplemented by devising work from the whole cast. Jamie Mawson (Beau) plays the male Belle as a bourgeois North London son of a painter woman; foppish, innocent and vulnerable as he and his mother (played by the brilliant Allie Munro) are the perfect send-ups of the artist class. These performances paired with songs like “Have a Brunch” instead of “Be our Guest” are an insightful and playful tease of many in the audience, without being cruel.

The set, costume and props sit where they are supposed to, in service of the production. Puppetry, costume and lighting help tell the story as they speak but don’t shout. While not a high-value production, the team made the effort where it counts and the beast’s costume added bucketsful to Robyn Grant’s performance.

With strong and stable music and roundly good singing, the production stepped deftly over the pitfalls littered for smaller musicals. Our audience was in good hands with these young actors performing both technically and artistically. Without the pressure of musically complex songs, singers were able to relax and focus on the comedy and physicality of the songs.

At this late stage, it would be wrong not mention the stand out performances of Allie Munro (Le Fou Fou/Lumie/Maureen) and Katie Wells (Siobhan/Clockface) throughout. Despite not being in leading roles both gave generously from centre and side stage with performances that leave you sure you will see them again.

Overall, this show gave so much and yet we could feel that somehow it still had potential to grow. There will be much more to come from this show and there is no doubt that we will see it again, and likely in some grander setting. It’s easy to get theoretical about fairy tales with genders swapped but when it comes to great musical theatre it’s better to say “I’ll know it when I see it” and with Beauty and The Beast you’re looking at it.

Reviewed by William Nash

Photography by Nick Rutter

The Bunker

Reviewed – 12th November

★★★

“unfortunately, it left some a little baffled and others perhaps clapping along in the hope that they had ‘got’ the play”

The quality of acting was genuinely good across the board and stood out in Irma’s Injection in particular. Joshua Jacob (Josh) was noticeable for his enjoyment and energy in a part that would have been boringly cryptic without it.

Reviewed by William Nash

Photography courtesy Monkhead Theatre

The Interpretation of Dreams

The Bunker – additional date 19th November

Previously reviewed at this venue:

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 2nd November 2018

★★★★★

“when it comes to great musical theatre it’s better to say “I’ll know it when I see it” and with Beauty and The Beast you’re looking at it”

Reviewed by William Nash

Photography by Nick Rutter

Beauty and the Beast: A Musical Parody

King’s Head Theatre until 17th October

Previously reviewed at this venue: