Birmingham-based
theatre company, Powerhouse Theatre, has joined the live online theatre realm
with ‘White Noise’, a two-hander play written by Mo Gearing, performed right in
our own homes via the magic of Zoom. Mo Gearing, also the co-creative director
of Powerhouse Theatre, has written a humorous and poignant play which deals
with current issues and hints at what may be yet to come in the near future.
The play begins with a voiceover of Boris
Johnson talking of the infamous ‘invisible killer’; Coronavirus. The hour-long
play then goes on to form an unlikely, yet believable and somewhat exuberant
friendship between an online sex call worker Elise, or "Lady De Franco" and a
lonely conservative MP David, or "Poshboy 123". We see their friendship blossom
as they bicker with one another about the current global pandemic as well as
share intimate details about their lives, pointing out that ‘lonely people have
a way of finding each other’.
Danielle J Gearing plays the role of Elise
in this one act play, and is also the second co-creative director of Powerhouse
Theatre. Gearing brings a real humour and wit to the character. Her
down-to-earth nature clashes wonderfully with that of Westwood’s. This can be
seen in the opening scenes in which Elise repeatedly swears, despite David
politely asking her to stop. The character of David, played by Paul Westwood is
also very believable. His mannerisms and tone of voice make him a very credible
member of parliament. His performance was emotional, yet held an air of
loftiness. These two opposing characters were fascinating to watch interact
with one another, and their chemistry really resonated on screen, even despite
them not performing in the same room.
Clearly a lot of rehearsal time has gone
into this production as the conversations were fast-paced and clean cut with no
obvious complications, which is often a miracle when internet connection is to
be relied on. ‘White Noise’ brought us an entertaining hour of live theatre.
A percentage of the production’s profits are
also to be donated to The Raze Collective, a new charity created to support and
develop LGBTQI performance.
Reviewer - Megan Relph
Reviewer - Megan Relph
on - 28/8/20
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