THEATRE REVIEW: Theatre In Isolation Festival: Day 2: SATURDAY - Part 2.

The Theatre In Isolation Festival was the brainchild of young Manchester-based company 'Two In A Bed Theatre Company', who organised and produced two full days of theatre, interviews, activities, and film all online and all from local Manchester talent and small-scale companies, all of whom are undeniably struggling during the lockdown.

It was a brave and bold statement, which actually morphed into an excellent platform to showcase works-in-progress, new writing, and basically network and support each other under extenuating circumstances.

The programme was vast and varied for the two days, and there were various reviewers watching different things throughout the two days, and so have split the reviews up into four, two each for the two days, and this review will look at a further 5 of the performances from Saturday 30th May.

1. LIGHTHOUSE
    Dare To Know Theatre

Oldham-based Dare To Know Theatre Company present this filmed two-hander about a mother chatting to and trying to reconnect with her son, despite her giving him up for adoption and he now a young man, knowing her as Kath.

Kath (Miranda Parker) sits in her garden and chats candidly to him (Jake Talbot). She tells him stories of her adventures and run-ins with the police and her doing drugs and all the kind of things she thinks might impress and make her seem more 'real' and 'relatable'. Yet, she also divulges that she has been following him, stalking him, ever since she was able to, and even interacted with him once, although, he had no idea it was her who had left him the money. It's definitely the kind of chit-chat two people who don't really know each other but are trying to pretend they do, quite easily would have. It felt very real and very natural.

There is a surprise ending which I won't spoil. - although the very nature of my even writing that has now spoilt the fact that it is a surprise!, sorry!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

2. SONGS
    Sung by Anna Rose

Currently studying at The British And Irish Music Institute (BIMM) in Manchester, student Anna Rose took to her microphone in her own living room and entertained us with songs from the folk, popular music and Musical Theatre repertoires. Songs which could possibly go under the umbrella banner of 'easy listening'.

Having already had some experience of live gigs in the Manchester area, she showed proficiency, although it was difficult to 'engage' due to the falseness of the set-up. Not her fault of course! I particularly enjoyed her rendition of 'Songbird'.

Reviewer - Chris Benchley.

3. 413 LIVERPOOL STREET.
     Written and performed by Libby Hall

A very strong and interesting, if quite macabre and black-humoured piece from the pen of local writing talent, Libby Hall, who also proved to be a very experienced and consumate actress too.

The police knock on her door one morning. The neighbours are concerned about the amount of flies they have seen swarming around her house, and the stench eminating from the property. It's a brilliant story with a ring of truth to it, and excellently measured. Hall has a talent for descriptive writing without it sounding like a school exercise, and in this monologue she excels. The story (I'm not going to give it away) will have you watching and listening all the way. Hall not only knows how to write a good story, but how to tell one too!

Not only did I enjoy this 'Tales Of The Unexpected' style monologue greatly, I enjoyed the performance of it too. Little ideas in the speech like "pedestool" and "cooker-pressure" were lovely little touches.

Personal highlight of day 2!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

4. ECO-CHRISTMAS
    Bobo Theatre Company

Times had changed and there was now such a thing as a nationwide Secret Santa, where you got a gift for a random stranger and the present exchange was done over a Zoom meeting. The presents weren’t wrapped up either, hence the “eco”. Christie and Lisa (Leah Gray-Scaife and Jenny McIntyre) took part in a ten-minute Zoom call to get to know one another and, in a roundabout way, open their presents. There was talk of the new traditions and old Christmas traditions and the real meaning behind Christmas. It was an interesting premise but by the end I felt like I’d only seen a taster of something and I didn’t learn everything I needed to know about the characters. Christie and Lisa, despite being two strangers at the start, by the end they appeared to had bonded and connected. So, why did one never get in touch with the other again? This might be more interesting if it was explored and expanded further.

Reviewer - Sam Lowe

5. 90 MINUTES
    Two In A Bed Theatre Company

Written by Joe Walsh and Libby Hall, perhaps the two most exciting young writer / performers on the Manchester scene presently, this was a series of three vignettes using the same set-up. A father and a son on a Zoom chat whilst they watch a football match on TV in their own respective rooms. 

The father (Steve Cain) is the typical working class bigotted and opinionated football fan. He doesn't really listen to his son. He hears the words, but doesn't really listen. He is more concerned at shouting abuse at the footballers or the referee on the TV screen. The son (Nathan Lee) desperately wants to connect with his father and tell him something... something he should already have known, but he chose to ignore the signs. Eventually he plucks up the courage and announces that he is gay. The final vignette shows a changed father. He has come to terms and accepted this, and admires and loves his son perhaps more now, ending with the two things he had hitherto been unable to do, tell him that he loved him and call him by his name, Jake.

I liked the idea, but sadly due to the nature of the filming I found it a little too much at times. The juxtaposition between the football matches and need for a heart-to-heart conversation worked at odds with each other over the medium of social media video calling. The piece might work much better on a stage and set in the same room with father and son sitting together on the same settee.

Enjoyable and well performed (especially Cain), but not optimal in this format.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall.