A Small Mind At The Theatre

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. ...

Connie, Harper and Freya are in a flatshare. One night Freya brings home Imogen, a homeless girl she has befriended. So far, so simple, however, that is if we haven't already seen the rather dramatic opening sequence, a flashforward to what is to happen involving said new person and Freya herself. A Minute to Midnight works on a few levels and fails on others, the story, that of some sort of miniature cult involving some sort of preparation for some sort of disastrous global event is far too vague at times, to allow its audience in. It leaves us occasionally bored and wanting more information to keep our interest. Fortunately what is great are the performances, despite us frequently not totally getting their motives, the characters themselves are nicely rounded individuals. Freya is played with a finely developing way by Mia Leonie, initially in control of events with her new introduction, but gradually changing as things over time develop in a way she dislikes from t...

At some point, a regular audience member of Flash Festival needs a show that lightens the mood completely, as the trauma of themed issue shows can take its toll no matter how good they are. So, step forward Oh Arthur , a combination of some of the best moments of comedy and setpieces perhaps yet seen on the Flash Festival. I might have to hark back to the exceptional Sell-By-Date in 2014 to find a more consistently funny offering. Arthur is a layabout, a generally useless creature, bringing nothing to the world. In his wake are the victims of his inability to even attempt life in a good way, so, here is his mother, his girlfriend, his best mate, and others, dealing with him and his horrible behaviour. So, what's to like about a show with a person with no endearing features. Oddly enough, the superb performance of Simon Roseman and the intricate scripting make him likeable, sort of, in a way we like David Brent, well a little. It makes the unlikeable likeable in a devilish way...

As is so often the case, Flash Festival performances have a strong emotional theme running through them, they are so very rarely lightweight, and Nine More Lives from Ellipsis Ensemble is no different. Here as this plays central point is organ donation, and it's spin here, spin used with political context as well, is an idea by high flying politician Emily of making people only eligible for organs if they themselves are on the organ donation list, known as Give to Get , and the play title coming from the nine lives that each person can potentially save. Emily, played by Izzy Weaver, is a highly driven politician, and Weaver's performance carefully calculates what her two personas represent. We have the clear, business-like character standing at the podium taking increasingly difficult questions, and then we have the more relaxed Emily, having her diary and biscuit quota handled by her ever-reliable PA Molly (Beth Hâf Jones). The two faces of a politician are extremely w...

There is a piece of audio played during Still Night Theatre's Trapped Under Class that is of current Prime Minister Mrs May (as of 3rd April 2019), describing the controversial Universal Credit scheme, a slightly central theme to this play. It's interesting to an audience of this time perhaps to hear our Prime Minister actually talking about something other than a certain ongoing theme (as of 3rd April 2019, and indeterminant and possibly endless time into the future). The residents of a council block in this stark drama feel of a much different opinion I suspect though. Following the death of their mother, siblings Sophie, Molly and Aiden, along with Aiden's girlfriend Charlotte and their friend Emma, find themselves dealing with low incomes, spiralling costs, and the stark reality of living hand to mouth under the constraints of this. Running for a period of one year following the initial vodka shot celebrations of the new year being devastated by their mother...

So, for the sixth consecutive year, I once again returned to see the University of Northampton BA Actors perform their final dissertation pieces in the Flash Festival before they embark off into the big wide and scary world of acting. My opening performance and the first of the week was Pop Theatre's Confiding In Frank , a witty, slightly emotional offering featuring Charlie Mackenzie and Melissa Knott, with more than a little help from Elliot Murray. Gary is a nerd of the ultimate level, and we meet him having a lightsaber battle with an unseen opponent. A physical battle so much so, that said lightsaber gives up the ghost during the scene. It's the start of a brilliant, if at times over the top caricature of prize nerd material, complete with constant adjustment of spectacles, and overly awkward movement. This awkwardness escalates to new levels when attractive new house-sharer Chloe arrives, innocently bringing with her a goldfish that is going to oddly, very oddly, c...

As a theatregoer, there is nothing worse than having a feeling that you are watching something above your intelligence level, a feeling that the words are getting beyond you either at such a pace or for myself with Shakespeare, they are not making a lot of sense. Act one of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross was one of those moments, as the writer and performers deliver fast-paced dialogue, which while clearly more understandable than the great bard of old, leaves very little breathing room for taking it all in. Zone out for one second, like a dog spotting a squirrel and you are back on a hiding to nothing for a few moments trying to catch the thread again. However, this is all relative, isn't it? One person's attention span or intelligence level is different to everyone else, hence my unworthiness has to allow for the fact that this award-winning play, Pulitzer prize no less, has had remarkable success since its world premiere in 1983 at the National Theatre. The s...