by guest critic Archie Whyld
The premise of an airliner exploding over Fulham after being hit with a Russian man-portable infrared surface-to- air missile, or as intense Londoner, Graham, who was caught up in the aftermath puts it, ‘it looks you know, like a bazooka…’, in a terrorist attack is extremely compelling. Compelling, because it could happen.
By guest reviewer Martin Pettitt
The Wild Party, a simple and to-the-point title, perfectly describes the show as well as the evening I experienced. There was so much to like about this performance. Adapted into a performance piece here by Mingled Yarn Theatre Company, The Wild Party was originally a book-length narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March in the roaring twenties. Initially deemed too racy to publish, it has since become a seminal work finding ever more relevance as we venture further into the 2000s.
Amongst the vocal campaigns fighting domestic violence against women and male rights’ activists misogynist responses, the fact that at least 4% of men are victims themselves is often overlooked. That 4% is reported abuse and no doubt there are many more cases that are never logged with authorities.
Fiona Doyle’s unnamed couple in Abigail aims to capture the universal potential for male domestic abuse, but misses the mark. Their relationship unfolds in non-linear episodes, but much is missed out and the fragmented structure causes a lack of variation in pace and energy.
Chalk and cheese Alice and Rhys debate whether to purchase a painting in an art gallery. Simultaneously, siblings Kev and Sam hatch a plan to fund a life-saving procedure for their ill mum that the NHS won’t cover. Running at just over an hour, writer Andrew Maddock fits in the nature of art and its criticism, public health, social class, poverty and loyalty across two very different sets of characters in the same neighbourhood. It’s a lot for 65 minutes and whilst it’s not enough time to fully explore these themes, the play doesn’t feel crowded. Though the direction and performances are intuitive and finely tuned, Maddock’s outstanding verse poetry and use of non-naturalism is sorely missed in this surprising diversion from his trademark style.
“Nothing turns out the way we planned.”
Though 2016 has been riddled with despair, 2017 looks worse. With the fascist post-truth movement on the rise and Trump taking office in a matter of days, there is little to look forward to. Far-off lands look like alluring utopias, and it’s easy to fall prey to the lingering question of what the point is of carrying on in the face of all this societal disintegration. With existentialism one of the cruxes of the story, this Three Sisters is a bleak echo of present day narcissism and hopelessness. Phil Willmott’s staging of a new, pared back translation doesn’t stagnate, though. Combined with a strong cast, this is production uncannily suits our times.
In the programme notes for Steven Dykes’ Glockenspiel, we are told that 40% of current personnel have been deployed more than once, and 27% of those veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from anxiety disorders and/depression. A fifth of ex-service people are unemployed, and a fifth report cases of domestic violence. Male ex-service members are twice as likely to commit suicide than their non-serving peers. So it’s no secret that the US doesn’t look after its veterans very well. The play tries to look at the effects of service on those now finding their way in the civilian world, but Old Sole Theatre Company’s execution doesn’t deliver the power needed for this slowly-developing script.
In the first part of Tony Harrison’s The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus, Victorian archaeologist Grenfell struts and frets around a group of silent Egyptians sifting through scraps of papyrus. He maniacally monologues on his quest to find Sophocles’ lost plays and works himself into such a frenzy that he begins to hallucinate. This triggers an inexplicable leap to ancient Greece where a satyr play is acted out and cloth phalluses abound, then another transition to a modern day street populated by homeless men.
Though there is some thematic consistency, the three stories are otherwise unrelated by plot and style. What initially appears to be a play-within-a-play turns out to be a disjointed and disappointing triptych, much like the fragments of papyrus that litter the stage.
I never make New Year’s resolutions. They work for other people and that’s great, but they aren’t my thing. But Daisy Bowie-Sell’s tweet from a few days ago asking what theatre’s resolutions should be for 2017 resonated with me. An industry making resolutions? Now that’s something I can get behind – people working together for a common goal is what theatre is about on a microcosmic level anyway, and more unity is surely a good thing in a world becoming increasingly polarised.
After 20 years running the Rosemary Branch, Cecilia Darker and Cleo Sylvestre moved on to pastures new in June this year. Unattended Items, a company with a focus on interactive theatre and design-led work, took over and have been busy programming work that has similar practices to their own.
Their Christmas bill of adults-only shows is no different. Urban Foxes Collective’s Narcissistic Nativity is a feminist, live art piece fighting against the patriarchy; Mammalian’s Fucking Little Elf Bitch is a one-woman show on the perils of working in a grotto. Both break down the fourth wall and use non-linear structures, and both need some tweaking for the sake of clarity, but this pair effectively balance current issues and laughs.
Though 2016 has been far from kind, seeing roughly 250 productions mostly in fringe and off-West End venues has made for a fruitful year in theatre. Choosing ten hasn’t been easy, but these productions had an impact that sets them apart from the rest.
10. Hamlet Peckham
A totally race, age and gender-blind production in found space The Bussey Building, this Hamlet focuses on storytelling and was executed with energy, undeniable passion and exceptional skill that puts it leagues ahead of most small-scale Shakespeare.
Louise Orwin’s unapologetic live art piece looks at sexualised female violence, gaze and control. The sophisticated work incorporates live technology and a different male actor each night who hasn’t seen the script until he sets foot onstage.
8. Lucy McCormick: Triple Threat
Lewd, rude and in your face, live artist Lucy McCormick takes on celebrities and their causes, the Bible and its women, and female sexuality. Be prepared to be shocked and amazed when she brings the show to the Soho theatre in 2017.
Little Bulb’s Victorian music hall inauguration of the outdoor courtyard space at Battersea Arts Centre is filled with heart. The talented trio expertly use the space in the family show that approaches form and style with dedication and invention.
Isley Lynn was my new writing discovery of 2015; this year brought Andrew Maddock. The actor/writer/facilitator writes modern stories of everyday heroes, but in exquisite verse. in/out (a feeling) tells the story of sex worker Blue and one of her customers with poignancy and pathos.
5. Us/Them
Belgian company Bronks brought this unconventional telling of the Beslan school massacre to Edinburgh, and returns to the UK in 2017 at the National. This devastating two-hander replays the story from the perspective of two children taken hostage.
I missed this at the National, but the West End transfer captured the intricacies of depression with Denise Gough’s inimitable performance. It’s astonishing work that gets into the bones.
The immersive gypsy punk opera by Lemon Bucket Orkestra was one of the highlights of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Recreating the Maidan revolution in the Ukraine, the audience join in to recreate the people’s demand for change.
2. Bucket List
The extraordinary Theatre Ad Infinitum make my yearly list again, this time with their all-famle show attacking the US-made maquiladoras in Mexico’s border towns. Their distinctive physical theatre technique is showcased alongside an aggressive, unapologetic political agenda
Matthew Dunster’s extraordinary reimagining of Cymbeline under Emma Rice’s Globe leadership appealed to young urbanites and anyone who likes their Shakespeare fresh and alive. Dunster’s approach was thoroughly embedded into the text and story and tapped into the energy of Early Modern theatregoing.
Honourable Mentions: Skin a Cat, Tomorrow I Was Always a Lion, Wendy Hoose
These three narrowly missed out of making it into the top ten, but all are powerful pieces of theatre that are no less deserving of the accolade. All are driven by important socio-political issues and tell incredible human stories.
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