Category: London theatre

Review: Four Thieves Vinegar at Barons Court Theatre

Published on by LizLeave a comment

Guest review by Ross McGregor

Four Thieves Vinegar is a new play by Christine Foster, directed by Adam Bambrough for The 42nd Theatre Company at Barons Court Theatre. At times with the Fringe Theatre industry, grand ideas take place in tiny cramped arenas, but here we have a perfect unison of play and venue in that the subterranean vault-like gloom of the Baron’s Court Theatre is transformed into a 17th century prison cell and this genius venue choice complements the aesthetic of the tale perfectly. The most striking element of this production is its design. Sally Hardcastle and Will Alder deserve the highest of praise for their work on this production, as they have elevated it to something worthy of the West End. The lighting, props, costume and set decoration are simply flawless, creating a perfect, captivating world in which the actors can play in. From tiny details of amber window effects, to the dirt underneath the actors’ fingernails, it’s all done with an attention to detail that is staggering.

The plot revolves around three inmates of Newgate prison and their kindly jailer, in the time of the Black Death. The possibility of a cure is understandably on everyone’s minds, and fearful superstition of God’s wrath is heavy in the air, thicker than vinegar fumes and hot brick ash. Matthias Richards, played with grace and sincerity by Nick Howard-Brown, is an impoverished alchemist trying to cure the plague before time runs out. Kate Huntsman is a fiery ball of energy and pathos as Jennet Flyte, Richards’ romantic interest, an innocent young maid who is awaiting the noose once her baby is delivered. Hannah Jeakes is the third prisoner – a world-weary nurse, played with gravel-voiced anarchic glee by Pip Henderson. Simon Holt is their keeper, with Bruce Kitchener as the slow plodding but well-meaning jailer, the lesser of the four roles but one he absolutely nails the timing for, and gets the most laughs out of an understandably grim subject matter.

The plot is packed full of different strands, but without spoiling anything too badly, no one is quite who they say they are, and as the play goes on, and the Black Death closes in around them, each character must make their peace with their own personal inconvenient truth.

This production has the makings of something truly outstanding, but unfortunately the ratio of gold to liquid in the alchemy of the show’s different elements is off, and as it stands, they are failing to fully dissolve together. The biggest culprit is unfortunately the writing. There are simply too many storylines for a 90-minute play, and it’s down to the director and writer to now work out which to keep and which to cut, if the show is to have a future revival. The plague plot is present throughout but it’s often side-lined by bickering and innuendo that tire after a while. Huntsman and Howard-Brown have the most to do in terms of characterisation and arcs, and they’re the glue that hold the production together. Huntsman is perhaps the most watchable and fully-formed in terms of her performance, claiming the stage like a little tear-stained imp, whilst giving a clear intention with every single line she’s given, whilst Howard-Brown gives his best Hamlet The Science Nerd, injecting much-needed wide-eyed mania bordering deliciously on obsession. You’re never quite sure if Richards is telling the truth about claiming to have discovered a cure, and Howard-Brown plays this with mastery and a delicate toying with the text. Kitchener has a paternal heaviness that is kindly, genial and reassuring – a lighter moment in amongst the darkness, and much needed.

Four Thieves Vinegar is an interesting idea, that could do with being longer, slower, and more precise in its plotting and pacing. The director needs to be clearer about the placing of the different narrative elements, and the cast need a script that matches their abilities, and one that isn’t so overwritten. And somebody at the Almeida needs to hire the show’s designers immediately.


Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉

Interview: Sophia Del Pizzo, Assmonkey: In Conversation

Published on by LizLeave a comment

“‘Science’, cats, Rick Astley and wank jokes,” is Sophia Del Pizzo’s concise and intriguing summary of her one-woman show, Assmonkey: In Conversation, which has its first full preview at the Rosemary Branch on 31st March.

Expanding a little, she continues, “The show is about anxiety and mental health, and what I and a lot of other people do to self help. I wanted to do this show to encourage people to talk about it more. I perform methods of coping strategies I’ve learnt over the years, which I think other people could hopefully use with their own problems. I wanted to pass on things I’ve learnt. Share the knowledge and confidence in speaking out.

“What I’d like audiences to take away is that we need to start talking more and to encourage people, especially men, to open up more. But also to take away the core message of the show, which has really helped me. Mysterious I know, but come and see the show. Smooth…”

But surely performing for an audience – especially solo – must be one of the most nerve-wracking things you can do. How does Sophia overcome her anxiety about going on stage? “I don’t,” she answers simply. “I really don’t; I’m terrified, as it’ll be its first full public showing. People might hate it, but at least I would have tried. Anxiety is fear and this is something I need to overcome. The good thing is I am able to use my nerves and fears, as some of the characters in the piece require it. I’ve never done anything like this before, but the nerves are all part of the show and I just have to allow that. For better or worse.”

Sophia had the idea for Assmonkey: In Conversation about a year ago. “I’ve been writing it for about six months and only this year started to preview it. I’ve never written a show before, so this preview will be the first time it’s been performed in full. Scary, but I guess everyone has to have their first show, right? I started by noting conversations I had in therapy and really looking at what I do to manage anxiety and how I’ve gone wrong in the past. I’ve thought of ways to bring character work and humour into it because I still want people to be entertained, even though it’s a difficult subject. I improvise a lot of the characters and write from there.”

Though she’s never performed the full show before, Sophia did preview an excerpt at last month’s HerStory festival at Theatre N16, and received some great feedback. “It’s been useful to realise different audiences get it and some don’t, which really has amped up the fear factor,” she explains. “My first preview at the HerStory festival was glorious. I was touched by the comments and people seemed to laugh a lot – I hope all shows are like that, it was great to know the tone of the show can work. I’m performing a snippet at the awesome Hatch night too, so I will be loaded with useful feedback. What is really nice is that people who’ve seen bits have thanked me for being so honest, which is reassuring because at times it can feel very self-indulgent making people sit down and listen to your story. Typical actor.”

Sophia’s a member of the Soho Theatre Writers Lab, a course that offers writers the chance to develop and refine their voice, with support, motivation and guidance from the course leaders and members of Soho Theatre’s Artistic Team. “Shout out to the Soho massive,” says Sophia. “I applied online with some short comedy sketches I’d written and I’m loving the course, I’d say it’s definitely been one of the reasons I’m doing this show. The support and encouragement from the staff and from peers is so inspiring, and it’s meant I’ve gone to see a lot more theatre and talked ideas with my peers, to a point where my confidence as a writer and performer has grown enough to prompt me to do this show. But it’s also changed how I look at forming a journey and a story. I have nothing but good things to say about Writers Lab and the resources to new writers. The Soho Theatre also do amazing talks and workshops that are open to everyone.”

For anyone who’s suffering with anxiety, Sophia has a little (spoiler-free) advice: “Without giving my show away, I’d say everything I explain, in roundabout ways relates back to meditation and asking for help. Charities like SANE have great resources and of course organisations like this have websites packed with information. But I think the most important thing is to make sure you surround yourself with supportive people if possible. Try therapy, if you haven’t. Also try looking at anxiety not as something bad, but maybe as something you just need to understand.”

Assmonkey: In Conversation previews at the Rosemary Branch Theatre on 31st March.

Review: Homecomings: The Monkey at Theatre503

Published on by LizLeave a comment

John Stanley’s gritty debut play The Monkey, one of the winners of Synergy Theatre Project’s national prison scriptwriting competition, is a fast-moving, plain-talking black comedy that somehow manages to be very funny and incredibly grim all at once. Directed by Russell Bolam, it’s an honest portrayal of a world that’s often violent and unforgiving, but drawn with the sympathetic pen of a writer who knows his subject matter well, and tackles head-on the stereotype that says just because people find themselves in a bad situation, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad people.

The action begins in the stairwell of a run-down block of flats in Bermondsey. This is the home of petty criminals Dal (Daniel Kendrick) and Becks (Danielle Flett), and their nice but dim local drug dealer Thick-Al (George Whitehead). Life’s not exactly easy for the trio, but it’s also fairly uneventful… until Dal’s childhood friend Tel (Morgan Watkins) comes back into town to retrieve £500 he lent Thick-Al in an unlikely moment of generosity. Realising he’s been taken for a mug, the unpredictable Tel, who’s never been quite the same since falling on his head during a robbery a few years ago, sets out to take his bloody revenge – and woe betide anyone who gets in his way.

Photo credit: Simon Annand

What’s so appealing about The Monkey is that despite everything that goes on (and between the language and the violence, it does get pretty graphic at times), all the characters – even the psychotic Tel – have redeeming features and are even quite likeable. There’s genuine friendship on display here, for instance, even if it is expressed through liberal use of the c-word, and in many ways the characters’ idiosyncrasies make them easier to get along with: Tel and Thick-Al’s shared love of Jaffa Cakes is oddly endearing, as is Tel’s unexpected obsession with cleanliness.

This flawed humanity is captured in four brilliant performances from the cast. Morgan Watkins is particularly enjoyable as Tel, a ticking time bomb of twitchy, pent-up energy that occasionally explodes in bursts of violent rage towards anyone who happens to be nearby. Impeccably dressed in suit and tie, Tel stands out from the Bermondsey crowd, and his air of superiority shows that he’s well aware of the fact, while his admiration for Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs exposes him as a frustrated gangster wannabe.

Photo credit: Simon Annand

At the opposite end of the scale, George Whitehead’s affable and appropriately named Thick-Al has no such pretensions, and is so laid-back he’s practically horizontal; content to lounge about on the sofa all day, all he cares about is his next fix, and he’s blissfully unaware of the trouble he’s in until it’s too late. Daniel Kendrick and Danielle Flett fall somewhere in between the two as Dal and Becks – while they’re quite content to get on with life in the only way they know, they are at least alert to the danger posed by Tel’s return and its potential ramifications, not just for Al but for themselves as well.

Not for the fainthearted, The Monkey is nonetheless a thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes (and educational: not only did I learn some new rhyming slang, I now know that Tim Roth’s from Dulwich, not Deptford – yes, I did go away and look it up) with larger than life, complex characters who feel like real people, not clichés. It’s an impressive debut from John Stanley and well worth checking out during its short run at Theatre503.


Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉

Interview: Debra Baker, Big Guns

Published on by LizLeave a comment

Interview: Haste Theatre, Oyster Boy

Published on by LizLeave a comment

After award-winning performances all over the world, Haste Theatre’s Oyster Boy is back for a new UK tour. Kicking off last week at London’s Blue Elephant Theatre, the revamped show will travel to venues around the country between now and May, finishing up with four dates at the Brighton Fringe.

“Oyster Boy is a dark comedy told in a light-hearted and quirky way, about the struggles of a boy living with an oyster shell for a head,” says Jesse Dupré, co-founder of Haste. “We use puppetry, clowning, dance and music to tell this strange story.”

Oyster Boy is based on a 1997 poetry book written and illustrated by Tim Burton: “Initially, we were drawn to the stories in his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy because they were so strange, and although short in length, seemed to say a lot and evoke much reflection and thought. We saw potential in the material and in the small number of characters he created, knowing we could inject comedy and humour into this rather sad tale.”

The show has been enjoyed on previous tours by audiences of all ages. “There is something in it for everyone!” says Jesse. “Because we are a physical theatre company, the story is told with a whole range of different performance styles, such as live music with ukulele and a cappella harmonies and choreographed movement and dance sequences. It is high energy and will leave you feeling revived, but also will provoke questions to do with the subject content.

“Primarily, we’d like audiences to have a good time watching the show, as it’s an action-packed performance full of colour, vibrancy and music. We want them to be engaged and to laugh, even though the story has dark undertones. 

“We’d also like to encourage a sense of questioning amongst the audience, especially in terms of morality and judgement of others. The character of Oyster Boy is subject to a lot of harsh criticism from society because of the way he looks, and this acts as a mirror to show the reality of some people’s lives today. We hope that audiences will sympathise and become attached to the puppet of Oyster Boy, and therefore be more inclined to empathise with people who are different without pre-judging them.”

Those who’ve seen the show before will notice some changes this time around. “We’ve performed our original version of Oyster Boy since 2013, and have toured it all over the world including America and Italy where it’s won numerous awards,” Jesse explains. “We know that it worked well how we first made it, but we wanted to challenge ourselves to tweak and change parts that we knew could be better and more developed. We also wanted it to represent our work now as a company rather than 3 years ago when we were just starting out. 

“Many things have changed this time around – in fact with the help of our Associate Director, Kasia Zaremba-Byrne, we’ve done a full overhaul of the story, the characters, the props and the set. Kasia helped us breathe new life into the show and expand on what we had before, bringing out new elements in us as actors as well as in the narrative itself.”

One stop on the tour is the Marlowe Studio in Canterbury, where Haste will be performing for one night only on March 30th. “The Marlowe Studio is a wonderful place to perform,” says Jesse. “We toured another show there in 2015 and had a great experience. The team who programme shows in the studio are very on the ball in terms of new theatre and emerging companies, and so it’s an exciting space to perform in.

“Local audiences should come along to check out smaller productions as well as large touring productions, in order to experience other types of shows. The studio is a great modern space with a decent sized stage and raked seating, and so audiences are guaranteed to have a good experience, especially if they come to watch Oyster Boy!

“Last time we performed in Kent, we had supportive and receptive audiences who made us feel encouraged and appreciated, and so we are really looking forward to bringing a different show to the same theatre. We felt we attracted a wide cross section of the community around the Marlowe and judging by the feedback we had, they thoroughly enjoyed our previous show. We are hoping that the same magic will work again this time!”

Catch Oyster Boy on tour – visit Haste Theatre’s website for dates and venues.