Category: Uncategorized

Sunderland Empire, Sunderland – until 11th June 2022

Reviewed by Stee Leahy

4****

Footloose at the Sunderland Empire was an energetic and fun re-telling of the 80’s classic. After a delayed start, and a quick voiceover explaining that all the instruments in the show would all be played by the cast, the show opened with a bang!

During the first musical number ‘Footloose’ we were introduced to Joshua Hawkins’ Ren McCormack, a fun and charismatic young man telling his friends he’s leaving his home town to move to Bomont. “Where the hell is Bomont!” 

Joshua’s take on Ren was excellent. He played him with an endearing confidence, displaying light and shade perfectly, in particular in scenes with his mother Ethel McCormack, played by the diverse Wendy Paver respectively. 

Darren Day’s take on the shows antagonist, Rev. Moore was nothing less that brilliant. Day’s character dynamics were fantastic. He was softly spoken yet his stage presence and physicality were powerful and dominating. Rounding off the character of the Reverend were Day’s brilliantly crisp vocals. 

The shows lovable and funny Willard Hewitt was portrayed by the talented Jake Quickenden. Quickenden captured all the dorky humour you’d expect from the character, and then some! During act two Quickenden performed ‘Mama Says’ with sensationally smooth vocals. Willard was absolutely adored by the audience. (I think the gold hot pants during ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ only added to it.)

I must say, the shows show stopping moment came from none other than the insanely talented Lucy Munden as Ariel Moore performing ‘Holding Out For A Hero’. These vocals were some of the best I’ve ever heard. Munden’s Ariel was nothing less that perfection. She brought a spice to the character, yet at the same time she played with such heart and vulnerability. Munden and Hawkins are brilliant duo. 

Ariel’s three best girlfriends, Rusty played by Oonagh Cox, Urleen by Samantha Richards and Wendy-Jo by Jess Barker, we’re fabulous. Richards and Barker were perfect comedy relief, bouncing off one another with great results. The way Cox brought Rusty to life was magical, those vocals – wow. Both she and Quickenden worked so incredibly well together and ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’ was greatly uplifting. The audience were all bopping along.

Holly Ashton’s take on Vi Moore was tender and sweet. She really fulfilled that calm essence of the character and whenever she played opposite Darren Day, you could hear a pin drop. Her quality acting was equally matched by her vocals. The shows villain, Chuck was played by Tom Mussell. 

Mussell brought a fresh humour to the role. Whilst been a real bad guy, his Chuck made the audience laugh a few times, that dynamic was fun! 

This cast, including Ben Mabberley as Jeter/Cowboy Bob, Alex Fobbester as Bickle and Ben Barrow as Wes are incredible. The show has a great sense of teamwork, made all that more strong due to the fact each of them played an instrument at some point or another. 

The set was simple but effective. And framed the action well.

This version of the beloved classic is a hit and not one to be missed. 

THE LOWRY, SALFORD – UNTIL SATURDAY 11 JUNE 2022

REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN

5*****

Last night I saw the new production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, at the Lowry Theatre as part of a national UK tour. It first premiered on stage in London in 1992 and Broadway in 1993, and it has been revived several times since. Winner of the 1993 Olivier Awards for best comedy drama, it is perhaps best known for its 1998 movie adaptation, starring Jane Horrocks, which is based on the screenplay by English dramatist Jim Cartwright.

The eponymous LV, short for Little Voice, lives at home with her overbearing and self-centred mother, Mari in a northern town. LV flees reality and hides away in her bedroom, listening to her beloved records, left to her by her late father. Over time she develops a gift impersonating the voices of American and British artists such as Marilyn Monroe, Gracie Fields, Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Lulu and Shirley Bassey. When her mother’s boyfriend Ray Say overhears her singing, he sees the chance to make some money from her talent and forces her to sing in public.

The role of Little Voice is played by two-timed Drama Desk Award nominee and You Tube sensation Christina Bianco. She is utterly impressive impersonating the voices and styles of the many female singers. After a number of little teasers, we are treated to the full spectacle of her vocal talents at the climax of the show.

Little Voice’s mother Mari Hoff is played by the magnificent Shobna Gulati, she became a household name for her roles in Dinnerladies and Coronation Street. Gulati is on stage most of the time and triumphantly drives the play by sheer physical and vocal energy, perfectly executing her predominantly comedic and eccentric role.

King of soaps Ian Kelsey, plays Mari’s rogue love interest and evokes gasps aplenty. Fiona Mulvaney plays her friend and neighbour who loves ‘a little tea with her mug of sugar’ and provides a good deal of comic relief through the jokes. Supporting them are some inspired supporting characters; William Ilkley as Mr Boo, Akshay Gulati as Billy and James Robert Moore as Phone Man.

Nic Farman’s light show and Sara Perks’ set is a huge success, making it all look authentic and really enhancing the feeling of self induced poverty.

This production has a little voice but it has a big heart and is sure to delight audiences.

BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME – UNTIL SATURDAY 11TH JUNE 2022

REVIEWED BY NADIA DODD

4****

This iconic film which was released back in 1952 tells the tale of how the 1920’s made way for ‘talkies’ films in Hollywood. Some people didn’t believe that the change from silent pictures could even be successful.

The show follows the world famous Lockwood and Lamont (played by Sam Lips and Jenny Gayner) who are stars of the silent film. As other producers are moving towards ‘talkies’ their producer and director Roscoe Dexter (played by Michael Matus) and RF Simpson (played by Dale Rapley) can’t afford to be left behind. The only problem being their female superstar Lina Lamont doesn’t have the voice to match her beauty which has been her only talent within the silent movie !

It was great to see such an iconic film bought to life again on stage with some amazing talent within the swing and ensemble. You can see the amount of rehearsing that has been put into the dance routines as they were all on top form, not a toe out of place and there were some astonishing tap dancing expertise out there tonight, just mesmerising to watch.

Three main cast were Lockwood, a love interest and later star of the films in her own right Kathy Selden (played by Charlotte Gooch) and finally Cosmo Brown (played by Ross McLaren), he is a lifelong friend of Lockwood, their scenes together show a fantastic working relationship between the actors, a real double act. Cosmo is a real cheeky, happy go lucky chap, a firm favourite with the audience.

The setting of the stage isn’t anything astounding but the 14,000 litres of water that are used each evening to perform the famous song ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ is something that I have never seen before live – I’m just pleased that I wasn’t sat within the first five rows of the audience! A big shout out to the stage hands clearing it up at the end of the first act.

Vibrant costumes, great lighting and wonderful songs such as ‘Good Morning’ and the title song of course had the audience dancing in their seats. A real feast for the eyes, a wonderfully executed show that is currently making a ‘splash’ in Birmingham .

BIG. HUGE. WEST END SMASH HIT

AT THE SAVOY THEATRE

EXTENDS BOOKING UNTIL 28 JANUARY 2023

AIMIE ATKINSON AND DANNY MAC

EXTEND THEIR RUNS

AS ‘VIVIAN WARD’ AND ‘EDWARD LEWIS’

UNTIL 13 NOVEMBER 2022

NEW CAST MEMBERS JOIN FROM 14 JUNE 2022

Due to phenomenal demand PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is thrilled to announce booking has been extended at the Savoy Theatre until 28 January 2023.

Aimie Atkinson and Danny Mac will extend their runs as Vivian Ward and Edward Lewis respectively, with Bob Harms as Happy Man/Mr Thompson and Rachael Wooding as Kit De Luca, all until 13 November 2022, alongside Mark Holden as James Morse.

From Tuesday 14 June 2022 existing cast member John Addison will take on the role of ‘Philip Stuckey’ and will be joined by new company members Becky Anderson, Matt Bateman, Robertina Bonano, Georgia Kleopa, Elishia Edwards, Helen Hill, Kurt Kansley, Curtis Patrick and Hassun Sharif.

The cast for PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is completed by Jemma Alexander, Andy Barke, Patrick Barrett, Oliver Brenin, Alex Charles, Ben Darcy, Hannah Ducharme, Tom Andrew Hargreaves, Antony Hewitt, Elly Jay, Matt Jones, Annabelle Laing, Will Luckett, Cilla Silvia and Charlotte Elisabeth Yorke.

Aimie Atkinson (Vivian Ward) recently received a What’s On Stage Award nomination for her role in Pretty Woman: The Musical. She was in the original West End cast of the hit musical Six at the Arts Theatre and was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance. Her other credits include Daniela in In the Heights at King’s Cross Theatre, Serena in Legally Blonde at Kilworth House, Chloe in Never Forget – The Take That Musical and Luisa in Zorro The Musical, both on national tour. Aimie is the winner of the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Voice of Musical Theatre Award.

Danny Mac (Edward Lewis) appeared as Giles Ralston in the world’s longest running play, The Mousetrap at the St Martin’s Theatre. His many other theatre credits include Bob Wallace in White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre, Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard and Nino in Amelie, both on national tour, Gabey in On The Town at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the West End productions of Wicked and Legally Blonde. Danny captured the nation’s hearts and received overwhelming support during his incredible time on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing, making it all the way to the final.

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL features original music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, a book by Garry Marshall and the film’s screenwriter J.F. Lawton, it is directed and choreographed by the two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell.

Featured in the musical is Roy Orbison and Bill Dee’s international smash hit song ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ which inspired one of the most beloved romantic comedy films of all time. PRETTY WOMAN the film (produced by Arnon Milchan – New Regency Productions) was an international smash hit when it was released in 1990.

Atlantic Records’ PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING) is produced by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance and is now available on all DSP’s.

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL has scenic design by David Rockwell, costumes by Tom Rogers from the original Broadway designs by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Philip S. Rosenberg, sound design by John Shivers, hair design by Josh Marquette, and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Will Van Dyke. 101 Productions, Ltd are the Global General Management Consultant.

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL had its world premiere at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre in March 2018 before transferring to Broadway where it ran at the Nederlander Theatre. The German production opened in Hamburg at the Stage Theater an der Elbe in September 2019 to rave reviews, and a US Tour of the show opened in October 2021. 

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Paula Wagner, Nice Productions, LPO, New Regency Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Kilimanjaro Theatricals/Joshua Andrews, Hunter Arnold, Caiola Productions & Co., Roy Furman, Edward Walson, deRoy Kierstead and Stage Entertainment.

West-End actor Paul Wilkins seen in Britain’s Got
Talent semi-final with The Frontline Singers

Last week saw The Frontline Singers make it to the Britain’s Got Talent live semi-finals; this inspiring group wasn’t just comprised of doctors, nurses and other care givers. You may have spotted Les Misérables star and stage favourite Paul Wilkins take to the stage with them

Known for playing Marius in Les Misérables in London’s West End and Claude Bukowski in the UK Tour of Hair, Paul and his girlfriend worked night shifts at their local supermarket throughout the pandemic having lost all his work in the entertainment industry. It was during this time, Paul’s friends James Beeny and Gina Georgio wrote Strange Old World and asked Paul to join other key workers to create a remote recording in aid of NHS charities. He was staggered when the video was published on YouTube; seeing himself alongside some of the most courageous human beings, fighting through the pandemic, he felt inspired

Although performing for a living, being part of The Frontline Singers and singing on Britain’s Got Talent, is a very different sensation. Paul comments, It was a privilege to offer support and guidance to the group during what was an astonishing experience – with every audience member cheering at the top of their lungs. For the amateur demographic of the group in particular, I will be forever proud

Paul Wilkins is well known from his time with the 30th Anniversary company of Les Misérables on London’s West-End. His journey with Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s original production accelerated when he was offered the lead role of Marius on the International Tour. Before Christmas 2016, Paul returned to London’s West End where he continued playing Marius for a further 18 months. Following his three-year run with Les Misérables, Paul workshopped and originated the role of Reggie in an original British musical called The Dreamers, written the founders of The Frontline Singers. Originally intended to play as a concert, The Dreamers took shape as a full scale and first-time production within the walls of the world famous Abbey Road Studios. Shortly after this experience, Paul toured the UK and Germany in the 50th Anniversary Tour of Hair in the role of Claude Bukowski.

New speakers announced for Theatre & Touring Symposium 2022

Today (Monday 6 June), Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre have announced the next set of speakers appearing at this month’s Theatre & Touring Symposium, taking place both at The Brewery, London and online on Monday 27 June 2022, sponsored by Ecclesiastical, Spektrix, Tysers, Theatre Tokens and Yesplan.

Keynote speaker Bernard Donoghue OBE, Chief Executive of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), will open the conference, with Rachel Tackley (Creative Director, Riverside Studios) leading a discussion session interrogating the main themes from Bernard’s talk. Giving the closing keynote speech is one of The Stage 25’s ‘Theatremakers to watch out for in 2022 and beyond’, Ameena Hamid (Company Director & Creative Producer, Ameena Hamid Productions), who will be reflecting on the overarching theme of the conference – ‘A New Landscape for Theatre’. 

Appearing on the conference’s opening panel discussion, highlighting the challenges facing the sector around programming, attracting audiences to drama, and competing for consumer leisure time and spend, are Jonathan Church CBE (Director, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions), Natalie Ibu (Artistic Director and Joint CEO, Northern Stage) and Stuart Griffiths OBE (Programming Director, ATG), in a panel discussion facilitated by Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE (Joint CEO Eclipse Theatre, Interim Executive Director Inc Arts).

Addressing one of the biggest challenges facing the sector at present, Jo Crowley (Executive Producer, 1927) and Rebekah Jones (Executive Producer, Curve Leicester) join our panel discussing the issue of cost around producing and touring, within the context of global disruption and a looming recession

Representing both the former and the recently announced UK Cities of Culture Chenine Bhathena MBE (Creative Director, Coventry City of Culture 2021) will be joined by Nicola Greenwood (Head of Cultural Partnerships, Bradford City Council) discussing the benefits to local areas of developing City of Culture bids and Local Cultural Plans. 

Jamie Snelgrove (Business Development and Relationship Manager, Theatre Tokens) and Nathan Naylor (Theatre Tokens Manager) will focus on practical solutions to the current challenges of bringing audiences back to theatre post-pandemic, and reveal how personalised marketing and new distribution channels can increase theatre ticket sales. 

Other names just announced include Elspeth Barron (Project Coordinator, Chichester Festival Theatre) and Jason Culverwell (Technical Director, National Theatre) highlighting practical solutions to embedding sustainability into our working practices, in a discussion facilitated by Phill Brown (Head of Risk & Safety, SOLT/UK Theatre). 

Also appearing are Jennie Green (Owner, Great Leap Forward) on stemming the industry talent drain, facilitated by George Perrin MBE (Coach, Consultant and Creative), and Carmel Cardona (Founding Associate, The Leadership Collective) and Sarah Holmes (Chief Executive, New Wolsey, Ipswich) exploring how to make our workplaces more inclusive. 

More speakers are to be announced in the coming days. 

Booking is now open for the Theatre & Touring Symposium. To find out more and to book your tickets visit https://hopin.com/events/theatre-touring-symposium/registration.

DISNEY’S THE LION KING EXTENDS SEASON AT MANCHESTER PALACE THEATRE AS IT CELEBRATES 20 MILLION GUESTS IN THE UK

GENERAL ON SALE FROM 17 JUNE

The Walt Disney Company UK and Ireland and Manchester Theatres have announced on sale dates for a seven week extension of the musical THE LION KING, opening at the Palace Theatre later this year. The internationally acclaimed production will open on Thursday 27 October with tickets available until Sunday 19 February 2023. 

The extension coincides with the show celebrating its 20 millionth guest in the UK. The landmark production has now been seen by over 110 million people in 100 cities around the world.

Priority tickets for the extension will be available from 10am Monday 13 June. The general sale will begin 10am on Friday 17 June. Tickets will be available for performances from Tuesday 27 December to Sunday 19 February. For more information please visit: thelionking.co.uk/tour

Sheona Southern, Managing Director of Marketing Manchester, said: “We are delighted to welcome Disney’s sensational musical The Lion King back to Manchester. A major international show of this calibre and popularity delivers enormous benefits to our hotels, restaurants, and attractions. The return of iconic production The Lion King strengthens Greater Manchester’s growing events offer and ultimately helps draw visitors back to the city-region.”

The story of THE LION KING leaps into life using spectacular masks, puppets and costumes to tell the story of Simba’s epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king.

THE LION KING touring company includes Stephenson Ardern-Sodje as Simba and Nokwanda Khuzwayo as Nala, who previously played in the Germany and Brazil production. Ireland’s Alan Mchale returns in a new role as Timon with Cardiff born newcomer Owain Rhys Davies taking the role of Ed. They join returning principals Matthew Forbes as Zazu, Jean-Luc Guizonne as Mufasa, Richard Hurst as Scar, Rebecca Omogbehin as Shenzi, Thandazile Soni as Rafiki, Carl Sanderson as Pumbaaand Simon Trinder as Banzai.

The UK & Ireland tour cast also includes: Lwando Bam, Mamido Bomboko Souchu, Khanyisani Beato, Jorell Coiffic-Kamall, Rushand Chambers, Tau-En Chien, Elisa Chou, Tevin Daniel, Tim Driesen, Oraine Frater, Adebunmi Gabriel, Brian Gilligan, Daniel Griffith, Alicia Hayward, Zalika Henry, Caleaf Henson, Olivia Jones, Melvin Le Blanc, Jochebel Maccarthy, Zanele Mazibuko, Fallon Mondlane, Zanele Ndlovu, Buhle Nkomo, Craig Pedro, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Connor Pelé Williams, Tara Price, Kyle Richardson, Cristiane Santos De Jesus, Lukin Simmonds, Sherry Tay, Francesca Thompson, Maria Yim and Bukiwe Zinganto.

Julie Taymor’s internationally celebrated stage adaptation of THE LION KING opened on Broadway in 1997 and 25 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese). THE LION KING is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. 

The previous tour of THE LION KING broke attendance records across the nation. Since the UK premiere in 1999, THE LION KING London has entertained more than 16 million theatregoers and is the sixth longest-running West End musical of all time. 

The stunning artistry of the production is the work of a team of designers which drew on diverse cultural influences to recreate the rich colours and vast expanses of the African savanna in this daring and inspiring reinvention of one of the most successful animated feature films of all time. 

Julie Taymor, one of the world’s most innovative directors, brought a vast array of disciplines to THE LION KING, including extensive experience staging epic theatre and opera productions, exploring classic myths through ritualised puppetry, mask, and movement. The Lion King was the first musical Taymor directed in the commercial theatre and she made Broadway history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award® for Best Director of a Musical.   

The Broadway show’s full creative team, which won five Tony Awards® for its work on THE LION KING, reunited in 1999 to recreate the show in London. Julie Taymor and Michael Curry created hundreds of masks and puppets. 

Scenic design is by British designer Richard Hudson and lighting is by Donald Holder. Costume design is by Julie Taymor, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The book was adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated feature and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay. 

The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers.  As well as writing completely new songs, South African composer Lebo M created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina. 

Elton John and Tim Rice have added three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of the animated film. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award®-winning Can You Feel The Love Tonight and the haunting Shadowland. 

Listings
The Lion King UK & Ireland Tour
thelionking.co.uk/tour/
Manchester Palace Theatre
Thursday 27 October to Sunday 19 February

Tickets for performances from Tuesday 27 December to Sunday 19 February on sale from:
Priority on sale for Very Me Rewards by Vodafone: Monday 13th June, 10am
Priority on sale for ATG Theatre Card: Tuesday 14th June, 10am
Priority on sale for ATG & Disney sign up: Wednesday 15th June, 10am
Manchester Theatres: Thursday 16th June, 10am
General on sale: Friday 17th June, 10am

Brighton Fringe

Venue: Miracle Theatre’s Fleapit Tent in the One Church, Brighton

Website: https://www.hedluvandpassman.com

Some songs they performed:

Doin’ it Dreckly

The Future (The Sat Nav song)

Made In Cornwall

Weird Nature

Do You Want Jam With That

Opening with their song Doin’ it Dreckly, Hedluv and Passman (the Cornish Rappers) set the scene for an hour of Surrealism and Rap – not two artforms you would naturally think of co-existing.

The spirit of ‘Dreckly’ is the key to their performance – getting wherever they are going, at their own gentle pace. There’s a lot to be enjoyed if you’re not in too much of a hurry.

They combine tight rap lyrics and rhythms with hooky melodies in songs that reflect the Cornish way of life and, importantly, the Cornish pace of life. The songs and performances are insanely hooky and they achieved the near-impossible trick of getting all of their audience up and line-dancing to The SatNav Song.

Passman brings a Freddie Mercury like bravado to his performance, combining almost athletic strength with the flailings of a gauche teenager dancing. He has an almost alarming vocal range and plays guitar well enough to be able to pull off a wonderfully ‘bad’ guitar solo.

Although Hedluv’s performance is less flamboyant, he is far from being the ‘quiet one’ in the duo, stepping out from behind the keyboards at every opportunity and often leading the rap. As well as being a good player, he has a knack for exploiting the often cheesy built-in rhythms of their trademark Casio keyboards to great musical and comic effect.

Their YouTube videos do not really do them justice – it is their performance and interaction with the audience that makes them so special. This is highly skilled comedy, and there are masters of their art. Initially they reminded me of the Sleaford Mods, as their act is clever, amusing and well informed, and does not fall into the ‘delivery of gags’ pattern that we are so used to from stand-up comedians.

In between songs, their gentle humour carried us along – it was just a joy to be in their company. We smiled and laughed all the through.

Hedluv and Passman are gloriously pointless, and for me, were one of the unexpected, must-see highlights of the Brighton Fringe.

5*****

Sue Bradley

Brighton Fringe

Company: Small Acts

Venue: The Fleapit, One Church, Gloucester Place, Brighton

Written and performed by Katie Etheridge and Simon Persighetti

If you had to name a Great British Institution that is under threat, it is likely your local pub would sit high in the rankings.

We shown into a small circus – style tent (Miracle Theatre’s bijou Fleapit Theatre) pitched within the One Church, within which was the set; a re-creation of a local pub where we were entertained with pub banter, live music, poetry and even a real pub quiz. In a nice touch, the quiz master was audience member Miles Jenner, the real-life Head Brewer from the Harvey’s brewery in nearby Lewes (Talking to him afterwards, he told me that he enjoyed the play so much that he would like to put it on in the Brewery’s own performance space.)

Through a mixture of performance and televised interviews with locals from the threatened (and, ultimately, saved) Seven Stars pub in the actors’ home town Penryn, Cornwall, we were reminded of the essential community nature of a local pub and invited to share our hopes and fears for it’s future by writing down our thoughts on beermats.

Where it was, perhaps, less successful was in its imaginings of what a future pub might look like. Introducing an element of time-travel through the ‘Beer Portal’ we met the Robot Barman and the all-too-familiar Property Developer. This section had something of the feel of Children’s TV and, although enjoyable, was not really convincing.

What was missing altogether was any discussion of why pubs are in danger (apart from references to the closures and social distancing rules which occurred in Lockdown). Although the play was not meant to be a documentary, nevertheless, looking at these issues has to be central to the future of the community space we know as the Local Pub.

Whilst not altogether successful in conjuring up a ‘Future’ pub or asking/answering questions about why the future of pubs appears to be in danger, this was still a welcome and enjoyable call to arms to respect and protect an aspect of community life that many of us hold dear and is disappearing rapidly.

3***

Sue Bradley

The Space – until 11 June 2022

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Written in response to revelations about social media influencers, and playing in the aftermath of the Heard/Depp trial by TikTok, Lauren Morley’s The Collab is a refreshingly unsensational play about consent and coercion.

Student Ella (Louise Lord) has an eco-lifestyle channel with just over 100.000 followers. Her best friend Kat (Maria Eastwood Krah) is a fashion photographer who helps behind the scenes mostly, unable to keep a straight face on camera. Both girls respond to Max’s call for women to take part in his project about the male gaze in art, reimagining female figures from famous paintings. Max is another influencer with over 2 million followers: a self-proclaimed feminist with a mission to make art more accessible with his Art Is Everywhere assignments. Thrilled to meet him and to receive options for the project, Ella realises that she has been sent very wholesome paintings while Kat has more risqué choices. Wanting to impress Max (Andre Frey) and perhaps challenge herself, Ella takes one of Kat’s options, The Luncheon on the Grass, where the female figure is nude.

Her views about why the painting was thought scandalous are vastly different to Max’s, who just focusses on the nudity, and their argument and Ella’s choices in the shoot pique Max’s interest. The pair begin a relationship, although Max refuses to use labels and does not want to acknowledge that they are a couple in public. The fact that this is Ella’s first relationship means that she doesn’t know what behaviours are acceptable and she makes excuses for Max’s behaviour. This is in stark contrast to Kat’s suspicions, and Ella thinks she is being overprotective of her and seeing red flags where there aren’t any because of her experiences growing up with an abusive father. The reactions to Max by the two women with hugely different life experiences is portrayed delicately and realistically, with Kat walking on eggshells trying not to alienate her friend but growing ever more frustrated as she watches Ella become increasingly isolated under Max’s influence in real life as the number of her online followers leaps. Max’s friend Brett (Clark Alexander) is thrown into the mix as a Neanderthal red herring to highlight Max’s seemingly empathetic and gentle nature, but Clark Alexander’s delightfully comic awkwardness in later scenes reveal that he is the kind and caring (and slightly annoying) friend the women need.

Louise Lord impresses as Ella – sweet and naïve, but with a steely strength underneath that is evident from the final scenes. Lord always gives Ella agency; the fire is always there but damped down whenever Max manipulates her into “choosing” to do what he wants. When Ella finally realises what Max is and what he has done to her life, Lord’s physical reaction is perfectly judged. There are no big reactions, just cold dread on her face. Maria Eastwood Krah’s Kat is also remarkable – scarred but still open to those she trusts and full of deadpan humour. The scenes between the two friends are wonderful to watch, with a lovely chemistry that makes you mourn the splintering of their relationship. Andre Frey convincingly captures Max’s narcissism – your skin will crawl as he lurches between the public smoothness to petulant pouts and fleeting glimpses of predatory sleazebag – and his hold over Ella is completely believable. The incidents are small and subtle at first, but as Ella’s popularity eclipses his own Max’s gaslighting occurs more publicly. The plot seems to move very slowly at first, making me think initially that there could be edits made, but as the first act progressed I understood that the slow burn is necessary, sucking the audience into Ella’s jolly and optimistic online persona as she was gradually worn down by Max and showing the routine comfort and need Ella felt, making the conclusion more shocking and dramatic. Astute direction by Rachael Bellis allowing Morley’s story to breathe.

The toxicity of online comments and attacks, which have become so prevalent that they are now a twisted form of entertainment for some, are shown to have real life effects on Ella, but her ultimate strength and determination to follow her dream ends the show on a positive note. Kat’s views on Picasso’s painting of his young lover are sharp, funny and on point, highlighting the freedoms and lack of consequences historically available to powerful and famous men, demonstrated in this century by the devoted support of celebrities on social media. Lauren Morley tackles that this relationship was instigated by Ella (a fact that would be weaponised online in real life) with Ella owning the fact that she pursued Max in a beautifully written and acted filmed statement to her followers. The heartfelt and clear explanation of what manipulation and coercion happened and how it felt leaves no grey areas – this was abuse. The switches from the actors on stage talking into their camera to recorded clips of the same monologues above the stage is slick and highly effective creating the sense of voyeurism and separation felt watching online rather than seeing that person as flesh and blood with real feelings.

The Collab is an uncomfortable watch at times, but light-hearted and warm-hearted moments ease the tension. There are many recognisable scenes in this remarkable play that may well make you determined to be more attentive and present for friends and family and think twice before commenting online.