by Laura Kressly
A girl in a school uniform, Steph, walks into a bar. It’s dark, and empty except for the bartender, Bell. Steph shows Bell a photo of her friend who’s missing and asks if she’s seen her.
This simple transaction, in a world plagued by blackouts in which women and girls disappear, is the start of a quest for a truth much bigger than one missing girl. As much as the standoffish bartender tries to dissuade her, the girl won’t take no for an answer.
by Laura Kressly
VAULT Festival is a place to try new things. Experiment. Develop. Succeed. And fail.
Boy, does Say Something Happened fall into the latter of these aims. This revival of Alan Bennett’s short play – an odd programming choice for such an experimental festival – is a mere 45 minutes. But it feels like I emerge from the show several days later what with how shockingly terrible the performances are.
The three-hander about an idealistic social services worker interviewing an elderly couple for the council’s new register of OAPs probably has something to say about isolation of the elderly within local communities, and the divide between generations. But that’s all but lost within a pace and delivery more akin to a badly programmed robot than human speech.
The acting is either entirely over-egged or flat. The performer playing the council worker is unable to communicate anything resembling genuine human emotion – she pulls an array of faces instead, accompanied by speech so fragmented it’s nearly impossible to follow.The performers playing the older couple are marginally better, if only because they have fewer lines and less nervous dispositions. It’s a painful experience to endure.
The festival can certainly be hit and miss, especially with 400-odd shows spanning eight weeks. But Say Something Happened has missed by so far, it feels more like a poor amdram effort than a work trying to comment on any of the themes it addresses.
Say Something Happened runs through 4 February.
The Play’s the Thing UK is committed to covering fringe and progressive theatre in London and beyond. It is run entirely voluntarily and needs regular support to ensure its survival. For more information and to help The Play’s the Thing UK provide coverage of the theatre that needs reviews the most, visit its patreon.
by guest critic Tom Brocklehurst
Wrecked is an immersive show set in the aftermath of a car crash. We join our protagonist, Sam, in her (real) smashed-up Vauxhall as she comes to with some short-term memory loss and tries to piece together what has happened in the lead-up to the accident.
by Laura Kressly
Playwright Terry Johnson is a quiet, unassuming sort of gent. He’s the kind of person that prefers watching people get up to no good rather than joining in himself.
But when he briefly worked as an actor in the 70s and met legendary theatrical anarchist Ken Campbell, Johnson didn’t have any other choice but to embrace the chaos of Campell’s working methods. Though Johnson’s acting career was soon tucked away in favour of work at a desk, Campbell changed his life. Ken is his tender, hilarious homage to this lion of of a man, though at times it waxes too sentimental in the face of Campbell’s absurdity.
by Laura Kressly
Laura is 38 years old. She’s just bought a new flat in Crouch End, and is the successful managing director of a company. She’s an unapologetic feminist. She’s desperately lonely and wants a child, but has hatched a plan to get herself knocked up.
Danny is 42, lives with his mum in Essex and works in middle management. He’s divorced and has a child he never sees. He’s a lad’s lad. He’s also desperately lonely, and drifting through life with little direction.
by guest critic Ava Davies
Nicole is tired of not seeing herself onstage. Nicole is tired of people telling her that racism and sexism don’t exist. Nicole is angry and she is ready to do something about that.
by guest critic Gregory Forrest
Fuck You Pay Me is a rallying cry for sluts who like cash. Preach. This amusing and insightful solo show, written and performed by Joana Nastari, begs the question: what would your mum say if she knew that you winked your butt-hole at strangers for a living?
By guest critic Lara Alier
As I walk to my seat my feet sink in grey carpet. On stage four people sit in what it looks like an office. One of the characters, a man in a suit, tells us how one day he didn’t go to work and stayed at home in order to spend time with his family.
By guest critic Lara Alier
By guest critic Jo Trainor
Breakups suck. Unexpectedly bumping into your ex sucks even more. For exes J and K it’s even worse, because they’re unknowingly about to be set up with each other.
The Play's The Thing UK 