Skip to main content

Review of Flash Festival: Pinch Theatre Company - Dystopia at the Looking Glass Theatre

Dystopia from Pinch Theatre presents a funny, sad and disturbingly realistic tale of modern life and its reliance on technology and more importantly social media. Throughout this busy piece all the suspect areas of the online world are generally attacked. We have a humourous argument between Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We also have the sad tale of a woman effectively addicted to online dating and most importantly the one of choice Tinder.

It is all very realistic and believable, and generally attacking of the online world. A place I have actually always defended myself simply because to take the old adage, you cannot blame the tools, just the idiots that use them. There is some lovely hope offered though with the developing tale of the lady (touchingly played by Rachel Sherborn) who is only brave enough to communicate via online and the final delightful payoff.

However the opposite payoff comes with, who in my notes for the review I simply called "Sinister Skinner". In his scenes in his (probably bedroom), Sam Skinner, who is the only gentlemen of the group, plays what is a truly disturbing character. The role is generally played for laughs, however it builds into another payoff with our opening character that is tough to watch and excellently performed by Sophie Poyntz-Lloyd. Completing the quartet of performers is the wonderful Zoe Davey, who has some wonderfully performed scenes at her laptop.

While there are some wonderful scenes during the show, it did feel a little disjointed at times and not flowing. This was a little obvious on occasion as there were so many short scenes. I think that there were also a few tech issues on this first performance which will no doubt be ironed out for future performances. Also I felt the music was too loud during the Tinder selection scene and drowned out much of the dialogue, certainly from my third row seat anyway.

However, it was a vivid and often disturbing take on modern life with excellent performances from the four players. Also a special mention for the wonderfully clever programme. I wish them the best of luck when they take the show down to the Bedford Fringe on 24th July.


The Flash Festival 2015 runs between 18th-23rd May, 2015 at four venues across the town. Details can be found at http://ftfevents.wix.com/flashtheatre2015, while tickets can be booked via the Royal & Derngate. Details at: http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/whatson/2015-2016/Other/FlashFestival15

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Lord Of The Dance at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

The stage show Lord of the Dance possibly needs little introduction to most people, as it has become a legend and now, in this touring version, subtitled rather immodestly, 25 Years of Standing Ovations, it reaches a landmark anniversary. Those that do not know of the show would probably well know its spiritual fathers Michael Flatley, and even more likely Riverdance , from which Lord of the Dance sprung with a proper spring in its step. During the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, Riverdance hit the world by storm as Michael Flatley and his troop of dancers possibly presented the most famous part of Eurovision ever, certainly of the non-singing variety at least. Here, this touring show brings that same style Flatley created from traditional Irish dancing across the country once again and it is truly something special to see. The concept of the show is simply a battle between good and evil told through dance, and some captivating and stunning songs performed by Celyn Cartw...

Review of Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders - The Redemption of Thomas Shelby at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

The Rambert Dance Company is the oldest such company in Britain having first performed in 1926. However, despite this, this was my first encounter with the group in my ten years of theatre-going. Coupled with this, it was also my first encounter with Peaky Blinders , having never seen the show, and only knowing a few vague things about it. My companion for the evening however was very familiar with the show, allowing some background behind the show. It turns out though,  Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders - The Redemption of Thomas Shelby needs a little more than a good bit of knowledge of the show, as despite this production having incredible style, there struggles to be a cohesive structure to the show and the storytelling. Much more than other dance shows as well. The first act does a whistle-stop tour of the first five seasons and while it is a feast on the eye, and on the ear, it gets extremely confusing at times. The second act is freestyle and drifts away from the stories tol...

Camden Fringe Review: FEET by Emma And Lawrence Wrote A Play at Etcetera Theatre, London

While some issue plays tend to miss the point of providing fun and entertainment as well as making their point on a relevant issue, FEET is certainly not one of them. Written, produced, directed and performed by the two-person team of Emma And Lawrence Wrote A Play, this is clearly a labour of love of the two, full names Emma Brown and Lawrence Smith, it is fun and engaging throughout. It's "issue" is loosely about selling your body for money or art and how far you might be willing to push it. Lucy Winwood (Emma Brown) is your typical young actress, struggling hard to get those money making roles, or roles in general, and in need of money she stumbles upon the world of feet fetishism (as you, of course, would) and slowly from just images of her feet sold online, it becomes feet in jelly and then finally personal meetings with clients for full on feet interaction. The path that FEET takes is that is this denigration of your body in selling your feet actually worse than...