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

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...

Review of Mamma Mia! at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Ahead of my trip to see Mamma Mia! in Northampton, I had enough conversations about the show to discover that there appears to be no in-between with people over their love or hate of the work of ABBA (music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus). For your information, patient reader, I fall firmly in the love department and an audience member of Mamma Mia! like myself is always going to ride on a tidal wave of joy as this jukebox churns out an incredible selection of their numbers (and truly reveals a substantially great back catalogue, that even a hater could not deny), however, is the show they are weaved around actually any good? The answer is mostly, yes. It is though, a typical popcorn musical where you are just required to switch your brain off for two hours or so and ride that tidal wave to Kalokairi, and observe the bright colours and frivolous nature of the plot. The plot, such as it is, involves 20-year-old Sophie, who is heading towards marria...

Review of Matthew Bourne's The Car Man at Milton Keynes Theatre

Matthew Bourne has been the accessible end of stage ballet and contemporary dance for decades now, and first imagined for the stage back in 2000, his interpretation and loose adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen , as The Car Man , is perhaps his most accessible to the general public. So, as it drives into Milton Keynes Theatre this week, is it still the masterly piece first seen 26 years ago? Luca is a man on the move; however, as he heads into Harmony, a town of 375 people, he sees a sign reading “Man Wanted” and decides to stop over to try to settle in and take some work at Dino’s Garage. After setting his eyes on the proprietor's wife, Lana, turmoil begins to infect the inhabitants of this harmonious town. The Car Man is a dazzling spectacle by Matthew Bourne and his New Adventures company, filled, as expected, with stunning dancing from the immensely dedicated and talented team of dancers. Led by Will Bozier as Luca, "The Car Man", his strength and confidence drive through h...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog