Light – Friday 2nd June 2017

I went into Light, by Theatre Ad Infinitum, knowing nothing, other than it was on its third run at the Battersea Arts Centre, so it should at least be alright. And I think that’s maybe the best way to see it, so I’ll keep this brief to avoid spoilers as I heartily recommend you try to see it if you get the chance.

Set in the future, it taps into very relevant topics around the use of technology and surveillance, while having a touch of the Rogue One rebel mission about it. Performed entirely in mime, with only some occasional sparse dialogue displayed in surtitles, it never struggles to communicate the narrative. The word “mime” probably conjours up twee images of men pretending to lift suitcases that won’t move, or be trapped in invisible boxes. Well put that image into said invisible box and crush it – mime is better described as physical theatre and done well – like this – it can be brilliant. The costumes and set are minimalist, with an electronic soundscape score, lots of darkness, and some very clever, intricately choreographed, handheld lighting, ensuring you focus on the action, of which there is plenty.

It’s atmospheric, thrilling, and makes mime seriously cool. Go see it.

Light is on at the Battersea Arts Centre until 17th June. Find out more here.

 

My Brilliant Friend – Saturday 18th March

Turning four novels into one play was going to be difficult – usually it’s the other way around, where short stories turn into full length plays. Or look at the current trend for serialising books into as many films as possible – although that’s usually driven by potential profits rather than treating the original text with integrity.

When my theatre chum Emma asked if I fancied My Brilliant Friend, I wasn’t sure. I haven’t read the books, the story of a complicated friendship over many decades in post-war Italy didn’t exactly sound like a barrel of laughs, and then there was the timing issue – the play was split into two parts, the idea being you see them either on consecutive nights, or as the matinee and evening on the same day. We opted for the latter as Emma lives outside London. And then we made the decision that I’m still undecided on – we went for the pit cushions – literally cushions on the floor – rather than traditional theatre seats.

Our bums did not thank us, but our view, right in front of the low stage, was excellent. The play was not immersive in any way, but we felt like we were part of the action.

However, our bums were the only parts of us that felt like we were there for 6 hours. Fast-paced, intelligent, and funny, the play was actually brilliant and by the end I felt truly invested in the stories, having been observing their lives for hours, and I could have watched longer (had I been in a comfier seat).

We went to see the play largely as it featured 3 Punchdrunk alumni – we follow the cast around a bit as it’s a good way of discovering new productions, and they tend to choose interesting projects. The cast included Adam Burton, Ira Mandela Siobhan, and Emily Mytton from the Punchdrunk fold, and they didn’t disappoint. The two leads were played by Niamh Cusack and Catherine McCormack – both excellent – and the rest of the supporting cast were brilliant too.

We joined Adam and Ira as well as a couple of the other cast members in the pub for a drink afterwards, and it was really nice to hear them talk so positively about the production – they were clearly very proud of it, and hopeful that it would get an extended run or tour at some point in the near future. If it does, I highly recommend going to see it.

The Neath – Thursday 23rd February

Wow… it’s been a while. The last month has been completely mental at work, so I’ve rather neglected writing – though handily I took some notes at a few bits and bobs so I’ll be writing them up eventually.

First up, I got together with my theatre chums for The Neath – one of the key immersive events at the Vault Festival, which came with quite a buzz about it, a simple but rather clever little website, and a production team with a decent pedigree (The Crystal Maze and Time Run for starters). So everything was looking good.

An immersive bar, with Azazael as the landlord, The Neath is a place somewhere between the mortal realm and hell, filled with regulars with stories to tell, where we would have to confess our sins, complete mini-quests, and find seven goblets (one for each sin) in order to gain our collective freedom.

Overall, the theming and styling were good, and the performers were incredibly committed and strong improvisers – though I did hear a couple of folk complain that some of them were intimidating or aggressive. Which brings me on to the next point – the level of expected participation was high. The concept worked, but only if you were brave, as it really required you to seek out answers, go on quests, and initiate conversations. I’m not too shy with these things, and have long advocated Punchdrunk’s “your bearing shapes your fate” mantra. But after someone had found a goblet and been pulled on stage to confess her sin, where she loudly and proudly announced she’d slept with a married vicar, I wasn’t particularly keen to find the next one.

The other issue I had, was that the audience size was a touch too large – we spent a lot of the evening literally queuing up for a series of one-on-one experiences. Ideally, it needed more to do and see that wasn’t one-on-one.

And really, in my opinion, it was a little too expensive for what it was – especially as as soon as it started you were ushered to the bar to buy drinks. I do appreciate that the ticket price (£25) allowed you to return as often as you wanted throughout the run, but that probably also impacted on audience experience – the later in the run you visited, the greater the potential returning audience members, therefore the longer you’d be queueing for your experiences. And returning visitors would have a better idea of how it worked, know who to talk to, where to stand etc and potentially rob new audience members of those experiences. A ticket around £15 with no return visits would have felt more appropriate.

It had real potential, and (especially as I work in events and look after budgets and ticket sales) I totally understand the commercial pressures – we’ve all seen shows we loved close because they weren’t financially viable – however on this occasion it felt like they’d sacrificed audience experience, and for me it was a step too far.

Sorry. I really wanted to love it.

Happy thoughts – Wednesday 1st March

• One of my favourite human beings is in London this weekend – was in touch with the gorgeous Mairead this morning to arrange seeing her on Sunday and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was an incredibly long day, and very stressful, so having something to look forward to definitely helped!
• When I did finally leave the office, the husbear let me know there was a surprise waiting for me – a whole box of Cadbury’s Creme Eggs. It’s the simple things…
• MORE PANCAKES! (It was a long day. Forgive me the repetition).

Happy thoughts – Tuesday 28th February

• It was a super long day at work, and very stressful, but made slightly better by coming home to hubby and soup and a shoulder rub. I literally couldn’t do my job without a stable home life when I leave the office. Or if I did, I’d be eating a LOT of takeaway and getting very podgy.
• New Walking Dead and Girls. I’ve used these before, but I’m clutching at straws.
• PANCAKES! Scotch ones of course. None of your thin rubbish where they’re lukewarm and clammy by the time you’ve finished tossing – it’s all about the fat, buttery, slightly crispy variety.