Skip to main content

Camden Fringe Review: Note to Self by Theatreweb at Camden People's Theatre, London

Anyone who has read my reviews for a while will know that I always try to take the best of things from shows more than the worst, I realise that for every show I see, no one sets out to make a bad one, that would just be insane. So Note To Self leaves me therefore in a bit of a quandary as while there were many people lapping it up during the performance, guffawing at every opportunity, it was to be totally honest not very good.

I think it has the feel of being a woman's play, therefore, I suppose I might not be its target audience, however, there was a chance of making this an effective little piece describing as it attempts to the life of a webcam girl balancing work and her normal life. Unfolding rather bizarrely in the room of her sleeping boyfriend (we are encouraged by performer Hanna Winter to be silent on our entry), who is actually either dead in reality or more likely rolled-up sheets as he never plays any part. The charade of our silence it pretty pointless as well as once the show begins, the need for calm is quickly dispersed.

Winter has a likeable delivery and relationship with the audience and manages to form a coherent repartee at times, but the strength is never there to make this lightweight material flow. Taking a mix of puerile sexual humour coupled with some holier than thou dialogue, it really is insubstantial stuff, serving little in the way of making the female point of view and if anything weakening the argument with the casualness it employs.

It wasn't without its moments though, the ice cream scene was mostly entertaining, but even that highlighted that really despite its occasional thoughts of being a grand moral piece, it really never was going to be as clever as it clearly wanted to be.

So, many of the audience loved it, however, I think mostly for the flimsy reasons that almost anyone will laugh at rude sexual jokes or a fart joke for instance to a certain extent, that doesn't make something good though to pretty much rely on them. However I hoped for a little better from this piece, and sadly I left thinking Note To Self had let pretty much everyone down as a missed opportunity to make a valid and very much needed point for all the ladies out there.

⋆⋆

Performance reviewed: Wednesday 9th August at Camden People's Theatre, London

Note To Self was performed during the Camden Fringe at Camden People's Theatre between Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th August, 2017.
For further details visit https://www.theatreweb.org/

Details about the Camden Fringe which runs until Sunday 27th August can be found at http://camdenfringe.com/

Popular posts from this blog

Review of The House She Built at The Black Diamond, Northampton

Independent theatre company Nerve Theatre was founded in January 2025, when its first original production, Broken Party , took to the stage at Benn Hall in Rugby. That was followed the same year by a modern retelling of Frankenstein . Now, for 2026, Nerve Theatre founder Mia Ballard has written and directed The House She Built , staged for three nights at The Black Diamond, Northampton. The House She Built , set in 1950s Hollywood, is a dark thriller influenced by the lives of Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn and their treatment as women within the cogs of Hollywood. Our leading lady here is Nancy Carlton, who returns to Mellor Brothers Productions to make one final film. But something awaits her, and the scene is set for a period thriller that explores the grimy world behind Hollywood's apparently glamorous days. Michaela Clement-Hayes leads the cast as Nancy Carlton, the star troubled by her past, but returning to her old studio for that final mov...
Read more

Review of Paranormal Activity at Milton Keynes Theatre

The low-budget film Paranormal Activity , first released in 2007, has since become the starting point of one of the most prolific horror series ever, with seven films now released in the franchise and another due next year. Its unique down-to-earth style of storytelling, inhabiting what is many people’s real life, with dangers within the house, has contributed greatly to its success. So, from one successful medium franchise, it is no surprise the series was developed for theatre in 2024, with a new story by Levi Holloway (though it borrows heavily from the original film). First performed at Leeds Playhouse before heading to both the West End and Broadway, and now, for 2026, a UK and Ireland tour, which this week arrives at Milton Keynes Theatre. So the question is: has the medium successfully crossed to the other side? Newly married couple, James and Lou, move from Chicago to London in an attempt to escape both of their past lives. However, as events begin to repeat themselves, they re...
Read more

Review of making second Kontakt with the R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Underground), Northampton

As I said in my first Kontakt review, I wasn't really sure that I wanted to see this show. However come Sunday and a second opportunity to see it, I was genuinely looking forward to it. With the show now having departed, for my second review I will elaborate a touch more on happenings, which initially I shied away from as spoilers. My actor for my second encounter was 15 year old Michael. He had the enviable task unlike Michael before him of dealing with someone who knew quite a bit of what was coming. As those surgical gloves went on I this time was certain that the R&D were not going to overstep the boundary and do a full medical. I had also learnt that a crisp sandwich was something that should be left in the memory, so cheese was a much more sensible option. I was able to complete the calculation generally unaided and managed to express an exaggerated shock at the latter outcome. The game of Jenga managed to stay stable once again and rather amazingly managed to bring t...
Read more