Skip to main content

Review of Flash Festival 2019: Making Their Mark by Face To Face Theatre Company at Looking Glass Theatre, Northampton

Making their Mark is created and performed by Hannah Bacon and Amy Jane Baker, otherwise here known as Face To Face Theatre Company. The "making their mark" reference in the title, here isn't about a woman becoming more relevant to society specifically, but here with the case of Baker's character, the need to bring a baby into the world. The feel that this is what a woman's role might be for some, and with her character, the inability to do so. It's a surprising approach to a female-led show, and fascinating mostly in its creation.

At only thirty minutes, it isn't particularly long, but in that time, Baker exudes great emotion from the audience, while Bacon, as a collection of other characters, helps to move the story. Both perform the piece excellently, with Bacon as a rather overplayed (in a good way) Made in Chelsea like work colleague, and onto a rather clinical doctor, and also as the slightly annoying, has it all (in the child sense), sister. They are all clear and very separate characters, nicely played.

Baker, however, other than the rather curious housewife segments from the 50s, which I don't feel add much to proceedings and feel out of place here, remains as the rather desperate and distraught Abigail. It is a very good performance, leaping from the potential joy to come and the stark realisation of losing, in an extremely convincing way. Together with Bacon, they have created a nice, concise piece of theatre.

Making their Mark ends with a collection of stark bits of information, tough hearing at times, reminding us that things still have a long way to go. There is also at the very final moment a video of some talking heads, and while it's good to hear them, personally I am not a fan of seeing a play end on recorded pieces, this moment should be the performers in my opinion.

It's a good show though, a well-performed two-hander, which teaches a little more about a different spin on the life of a female in today's society, and if we all learn something from a show, it's generally a show well done.

Performance viewed: Wednesday 3rd April 2019

The Flash Festival 2019 ran until Sunday 7th April 2019 at venues across the town.
Details here: Flash Festival 2019
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Review of The Battle at Birmingham Rep

The Battle is a brand-new play by John Niven, set firmly in the nineties, that focuses on the Britpop fight between chart rivals Blur and Oasis. Opening at Birmingham Rep before transferring to the spiritual Oasis home of Manchester, the question is: is this worth donning your bucket hat, heading to the theatre, and enjoying the show to the end, or will you look back in anger when you leave? It is London, 1995. The infamous Britpop battle begins when both Blur and Oasis release singles on the same day. On one side, clean-cut, art-school intellectuals from the South. On the other hand, raw and unapologetic lads from the North. Let battle commence! The Battle is John Niven's first stage play, and he doesn't take the easy route. Deciding to bring both known people, detailed and multiple scenes and ambitious storytelling to proceedings. And for the most part, it all comes together to create a coherent whole. The casting director Claire Bleasdale has assembled a talented group of ...
Read more

Review of Friends - The Musical Parody at Milton Keynes Theatre

The One Where 2026 starts in a world of confusion. And so, 2026 is upon us and for my first trip to the theatre this year, one of my most significant reviewing challenges was to occur. Touring to Milton Keynes Theatre is Friends - The Musical Parody , based, unsurprisingly, on that little American show that ran to a few audience members for ten years. However, I confess that I was not, and have never been in that audience, never having seen a single episode of the show. However, always up for a review challenge and doing my due diligence by having a Friends superfan as my plus one, I headed to Milton Keynes with anticipation. For those unfamiliar with the show, I could say I can’t help; however, a quick review of some of the information you might need (thanks, Google and my plus one). Running for ten years between 1994 and 2004 with 236 episodes (quiz question, you are welcome), the main characters consisted of Phoebe (ditzy, writer of sad songs), Monica (in possession of an unfeasibly...
Read more

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...
Read more