Cirxus

Cirxus

Arcola Theatre

Written & Directed by John Harrigan

May 2th - June 13th 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for whatsonstage.com

The title of this piece, a mutilation of the word ‘circus’, is representative of the bizarre and distorted world you enter into at the Arcola’s new industrial space, which officially opens in July as Studio K. For now it is home to Seascale Atomic Village, which isn’t exactly your typical seaside resort.

Taking us back to 1957 writer and director John Harrigan explores the effects of the Calder Hall nuclear power station and Windscale reactors. In the surrounding areas various farm produce had to be destroyed as a result of these places; as for the people, well, take a wander round and you’ll see for yourself.

The stark and industrial setting for this piece of promenade theatre is instantly eerie and unnerving. There are posters of atomic bombs and mushroom clouds, a ghost-like woman wandering around with an accompanying rattle of radioactivity and a classroom dedicated to the study of all things nuclear; all reminds us why we find ourselves in this warped environment.

The lighting is dim, the space echoes and bizarre characters creep up on you. These characters are all part of a circus group and yet rather than perform to hundreds of excited tourists they inhabit this space which time seems to have forgotten. Amongst them is a fortune-teller lurking in the corner, a ringmaster who no longer seems to know who is he is, a girl in a stripy leotard causing mischief and an equestrienne called Athalia searching for her clown boyfriend.

Harrigan completely smashes down the fourth wall as the audience, walking around the space, become entangled in the piece. The performers speak softly to one another; drawing you in closer as you strive to hear them. They may ignore your presence or they may engage you in their bizarre conversation. The experience is simultaneously funny and disconcerting. Whilst involved in one situation there are many other scenarios happening around the space which you are not witnessing, adding to the idea of the unknown and therefore making every audience member’s experience completely unique.

For the benefit of those audience members who do not arrive in time for the 8.30pm entry and instead join this weird and wonderful world at 9pm the earlier scenes are repeated, helping to fill in some of the gaps.

Much of the excitement of this piece comes from its mystery, so I am loath to give anything else away. Cirxus is a place of the unknown and should remain so for those of you yet to enter this demented playground.

Only When I Laugh

Only When I Laugh

Love & Madness production
Written by Jack Shepherd
Directed by Nicky Henson
Arcola Theatre
14th April – 2nd May 2009

Reveiewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

The variety act is a dying art form but there was once a time when folk who had very little money would spend what they did have on a trip to the local theatre and catch the variety acts that were in town.

Written by and starring Jack Shepherd (of Wycliffe notoriety) Only When I Laugh takes us back to a time when the most unlikely characters toured up and down the country together entertaining the locals in whatever town they happened to be in. The years after WII were not easy times. Especially in the north of England which is where we are on the night we join this mismatched group of entertainers. There was no central heating, no fridges, no washing machines and there was mass unemployment. The variety show was an opportunity to escape from the harsh realities of life and sit back to enjoy a song, or a laugh or watching someone do something strange with balloons; whatever happened to be on the bill that night. However on this particular occasion there is more drama happening off stage than there is on stage.

The band is a no show for rehearsals, there is a new singer in town who unbeknown to legendary comedian Reg Henson has kicked him off the number one spot. There are acts having affairs and there’s an old busy-body milling around trying to ensure that no obscenities make there way into the acts.

The performances cannot be faulted. Each cast member is superb as they capture the essence of characters from this era beautifully. Yet despite this, it is not a captivating story. There are certainly funny shenanigans to enjoy such as Jim Bywater as Reg Henson throwing a drunken hissy fit and demolishing his room upon discovering that he has been relocated to the number two dressing room. Stephanie Thomas is delightful as naïve Rita Atkinson (half of the twin tap dancing sensation) who has been foolishly seduced by the up and coming (and married) comedian Stanley Hinchcliffe and of course Jack Shepherd is brilliant as always as he tries to control this unruly rabble. However as a show it feels a little old fashioned. It’s pleasant enough but in the same way that an episode of Last of the Summer Wine is on a Sunday night.

Perhaps this show is more appealing to a certain generation but it’s a shame that this production about variety acts is not quite as entertaining as they once were.

Lie Of The Land

Lie Of The Land
Written by Torben Betts
Directed by Adam Barnard
Arcola Theatre – Studio space

April 6th – 2nd May 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

We’ve all thought it – “I need to get out of the city”. For most of us it’s a momentary thought, at best we plan a trip to the county for a long weekend but very few of us actually go through with quitting the city for good in favour of a more simple existence. Torben Betts wrote Lie Of The Land after having a nightmare in which he did just that; the result, a sort of surreal nightmare set by the sea.

A husband and wife in their late 20s/early 30s (they have no names) played by real life husband and wife team Emily Bowker and Chris Harper stand facing the audience; united by their virtually identical grey outfits and yet completely separate. They talk of quitting the rat race and shedding their city costumes in favour of a life of domesticity. They speak in broken sentences as they imagine this new, higher level of existence.

They are at pains to point out the positives of this life they have chosen, almost as if they must keep reminding themselves, lest they forget. Betts dialogue is both witty and intelligent as he writes in a style that is more akin to a commentary rather than actual conversation between the pair.

Lie Of The Land is rather like looking into a distorted mirror. Listen in on the conversations of any group of people in their late 20s/early 30s in London and you’ll hear them complaining that they don’t think they are making the most of their lives; that they could be doing so much more. Bowker and Harper are superb together as they portray this couple who are desperate to live, to exist, to just be. Their heightened style of performance throughout makes their frantic desperation all the more disconcerting to watch.

The influence of film director Lars Von Triers cannot be ignored. In much the same way as Nicole Kidman’s character in Dogville escapes a life she hates only to find herself in a bigger nightmare; so do these characters. As in Dogville all set and props are drawn against this black space and each scene is punctuated by a written description of what we are about to see emphasising this forced environment they find themselves in. They are anything but free of structure, in fact they have to structure themselves more in an effort to avoid the TV, internet and all other modern devices.

As the years go by we find ourselves in the future and the supposed tranquil life of this couple has descended into chaos. In their desire to make more of life they have simply ended up hiding from life. In some sort of weird dystopian future the world outside seems to be falling apart and whilst stubbiness keeps them from leaving the countryside they are in agony as they resist rejoining civilisation.

An acute observation of mankind’s inability to be content, the only flaw with watching people who are bored and miserable is that it can be at times boring and miserable to watch. For the most part Betts avoids this but there are moments when it becomes slightly monotonous.

An extreme and scary picture of the lengths people go to in order to find happiness; ultimately showing that it doesn’t matter what you do, where you go or who you go there with, you can’t escape from yourself.