Bread & Roses Theatre – until 2 April 2022
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
Hugh Dichmont’s entertaining exploration of the search for happiness shows exciting potential but needs sharper focus.
The audience sit around the stage area, strewn with sequins, confetti, and balloons, with the cast sitting at opposite ends as if we are joining their party a little late. Some clowning from Valeria Rodríguez and Tosin Olomowewe sets up the seemingly random nature of the performance, and then things get a little darker.
The plots follow a rape survivor who attends acting school to learn to laugh again, a tech entrepreneur trialling a watch that injects endorphins to the wearer for a brief feeling of happiness, a Colombian house cleaner who uses her sexuality to hide her pain and a couple celebrating Christmas every day. Directed by Tom Ward, the tone swerves violently between absurdity and emotional honesty, with lots of dark humour that occasionally misses the mark as the scene ends and another begins. With various storylines unfolding episodically, the order in which the sections of the play are performed varies at each performance, with the clowns encouraging audience members spinning a wheel of fortune to determine the running order. With the titles of each section written faintly on small pieces of paper above the stage, this may aid the cast, but has no impact on the audience, making it easy to forget this conceit as the play progresses. Other shows following this model have spun the wheel between scenes, which slows the pace but could continue the silliness of the clowning opening; also giving the audience a chance to process what they have just seen and not be confused as to whether they are watching part of the same story. The plotlines are all really interesting and important, and the reasons behind the actions of some of the characters are revealed in different episodes, but none of them feel quite complete and the weak transitions mean that each section ends with a whimper rather than a bang.
The tough topics are approached sensitively, and although some dialogue is clunky, the impressive cast keep the audience engaged. Kate Sketchley’s rape survivor is a standout both in her comedic scenes learning to laugh with the ridiculous child diva Hugo (Evan L. Barker) and more serious moments facing the same actor as a more sinister character. Mohana Rajagopal is heart-breaking as the wife of John (James Heatlie), who is suffering from dementia and has sacrificed everything to ensure he is safe and happy. Tosin Olomowewe’s tech entrepreneur Daniel’s drive to provide fake and transient happiness for the masses and himself while he ignores the misery of his own family results in a particularly disturbing scene where his young son (James Heatlie) uses the technology himself.
With more development, Who You Are And What You Do has the makings of a remarkable play. As it is, the production is an entertaining but confusing night out that will spark lots of discussion on the journey home.