Riverside Studios – until 4 March 2026
Reviewed by Laura Mobilia
4****
Too Small to Tell is a powerful one-woman play that tells the story of a young woman who has just graduated from drama school, pursuing dreams of becoming a successful actor and encountering the challenges and difficulties that this career brings to those who don’t have a “name”. She finds a job at Miramax in London, Harvey Weinstein’s famous company, only to find herself under the orders of a famous man with a now infamous history of abuse.
As soon as you enter the theatre, the video with its voices, words and music brings you into the world of Weinstein — a man who brought many women to fame and success in the middle of a sad atmosphere of power and abuse.
The protagonist, Lisa Rose, who is also the author and tells the story in the first person, changing from one character to another, takes us inside this world and through her personal story — a story hard to tell, a story about resilience and a desperate need to shout to the world what happened at Miramax London, but also what happens inside her. This mixture of drama, pain and resilience, with touches of comedy, allows Lisa Rose to give a great and detailed performance with very strong body work, and immerses us in a crude and tough world.
The set design and props are reduced to a minimum, but this works well with the costume and lighting design; everything kept in black and white, which suits the spirit of the play.
We see a standing microphone which is used by the actor to break the fourth wall and connect with the audience. Every time she stands there, she reveals more of her true self, speaks directly to the audience and allows us to see her vulnerable side. When she leaves the microphone, she returns to different characters — her younger self, her colleagues, Harvey Weinstein — giving a very talented variety of performances that make us feel we don’t really need other actors on stage. The way she changes from role to role is technically impressive.
The co-directors Liz Ranken & Paula B Stanic did a very good job directing this play — the scene transitions, the movement direction, and the technical aspects such as video, music, sound and lighting.
We can see a small team that works well together and has taken this play to several stages, hopefully with more to come.