Review of UoN Fringe 2019: Escape Route by Kyla Kares at The Platform Club, Northampton

The third show of this year's Fringe increased the really good quality of the shows so far to properly superb as solo performer Kyla Williams presented Escape Route, a quite remarkable piece of theatre from a clearly multi-talented performer.

Taking similar themes of mental health from the previous show, Escape Route centred more on suicide in both it's successful attempts, failures and what it means to be left behind. Using others and her own personal recollections, Williams creates a desperately sad at times depiction of life, yet, but makes it at resolution a most remarkably uplifting one with a truly inspired ending as well.

Williams is unquestionably an amazing performer, able to deliver the stories in clear and distinctive ways. Each of the characters from young Caitlin, to the runner escaping life by running around, the very familiar to me Racecourse, and onto the cabaret singer asking "is that all there is?", are brilliantly realised. This is such a sharp performance from Williams, and a brilliantly put together piece, it might already be the best show of the week.

While this is intelligently constructed as a piece of theatre, it could still be stale and wordy in anyone else's hands. Williams though can sing superbly, performs a beautiful contemporary dance, and creates a brilliant physical movement scene bringing about the pain of one person's life history to life thought sharp, stilted moves. Also, included is one of the most brilliant lip synced pieces I have seen, perfect in timing and mannerisms, so much so, you truly can't believe that this is being vocalised live.

It is rare that I am so impressed by a piece of theatre such as this, maybe my own personal situation helped me understand it more and appreciate it, however also this is clearly stunning work and one of the best solo pieces I have seen, and to leave uplifted from a play about a subject such as this is a tremendous achievement. Simply stunning.

Performance viewed: Monday 29th April 2019

The Fringe Festival 2019 runs until Sunday 5th May 2019 at The Platform Club Northampton, and one show at Hazelrigg House.

Details here: Fringe Festival 2019

Review of A View from the Bridge at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Although writer Arthur Miller died 15 years ago, and last published a play almost 30, he remains a force to be reckoned with, and you are probably still never far from production of one of his works, albeit one of probably just four from his back catalogue of 33 plays. If you pressed someone to choose his best, they would probably more often than not say The Crucible , because A: they studied it, or B: they have actually seen it. As for best though, maybe not. Perhaps that lies with the simpler format of A View from a Bridge , the gritty tale of immigration in the fifties. So, does this new version, a co-production between Royal & Derngate and York Theatre Royal, do it justice? In 1950s New York, hardworking longshoreman Eddie Carbone lives a simple life with his wife and niece deep in an immigrant community. When two of her Sicilian cousins arrives, slowly Eddie's life begins to change forever. In a theatre world where life is rarely simple anymore and directors of...

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...

Review of The Choir of Man at Milton Keynes Theatre

The musical The Choir of Man has had a remarkable journey since its first appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017. Via Adelaide, Covid, North America, the show finally became a fixture at The Arts Theatre in London, running between 2021 and 2025, on either side of a theatre renovation. The show finally closed to embark on an extensive UK & Ireland tour, which now reaches Milton Keynes Theatre. The Choir of Man offers an inventive theatre experience. Long before the show begins, audience members are welcomed upon stage, or more accurately, to The Jungle, the pub setting for the “story” of The Choir of Man . While within The Jungle, pre-show and interval, you are welcome to grab a pint at the functioning bar and have a chat with the cast, our characters for the evening. However, you may have noticed the quotes around the word story, and that is where, in many ways, this is a very different experience. The Choir of Man does not really feature a storyline; it is just a gathering o...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog