'How To Use A Washing Machine' is a curious piece of new writing. The title and the advertising for this show suggest it to be a comedy, and yet, after watching it this evening, comedy it is not. Yes, there are moments of humour and light-heartedness, but it is essentially a duologue between two siblings, coming to terms with the paths they have chosen in life and learning more about each other and acceptance in general. It's a bitter-sweet drama, with music.
Oh yes, forgot to mention the music didn't I. It is also billed as a Musical, however, if it wasn't for the fact that there is a lot of duologue and monologue within the piece making it feel quite 'worthy', then the music is much more in keeping with early 20th century classical composers such as Stravinsky or Lutoslawski trying to make a cross-over in the same way as Kurt Weill. There are definite instances of Tippett in the score, as well as Britten and Kodaly. So, as you can see, it was really not light-scoring, despite being scored for an on-stage live string quartet. In fact, the idea of having a chamber ensemble on stage for a chamber Musical, only added to the 'classical' feel of the piece making it fit more into the opera genre. It was the speaking, and the amount of speaking which made this classification wrong, and when the Musical ends, not with a song, but with a sobering piece of duologue, it felt much more like a play with music.
The premise of the story is that two siblings, having gone down totally separate paths in life - one a successful if boring and stiff banker, the other an artist and free-thinker, but continually living on the bread-line. They travel from their homes (one by car and the other on a train - and they are both delayed due to snow and winter weather (on the hottest day of the year so far!)) to their family home. Their parents are divorcing and they have been roped in to clear and box-up all their old possessions. This brings back childhood memories and is used as the catalyst to bring the two of them closer together than they have been since they were children. Jess, the 'hippy' artist ostensibly not really being able to use a washing machine, and hers having broken in her rented flat, has brought her washing back home with her.
Produced by Slam Theatre, a group of hard-working and talented Oxford university graduates, the work appears fresh and alive. The two performers Jess (Emelye Moulton) and James (Joe Winter) were fresh-faced and obviously too young for the roles they were playing, but they had good chemistry on stage and worked well with a rather difficult score. Moulton needed to up her volume a little in places, but otherwise, they sang and acted their way through this hour-long show in unbelievable heat, managing to ignore the intrusive rock band practice that was happening across the way!
If you like a challenge, and are interested in new Musical writing, then this is certainl;y for you. A two-hander that certainly entertains and sustains your interest, but maybe take a small hand-held fan with you.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 23/7/19
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