'Trapped' was a double-bill of one-act plays, '12x8' and 'String'. performed at The Little Liverpool Thestre Festival, organised by Bill Elms, who is the artistic and festival director. Adhereing to all the current Covid-19 Government guidelines, 'Trapped' was performed at St. Luke’s Church, known locally as The Bombed-Out Church in the very heart of Liverpool. The church was the ideal setting for the show with it’s eerie surroundings and gothic feel. Tonight’s performance was a sell out, proving how popular the show is.
Getting on with the show, multi-award-winning company, Naughty Corner Productions in collaboration with Silent Gutter produced 'Trapped', a double bill of genre-bending one act plays. Their production values were of a high standard and easily demonstrated throughout the show. '12x8' was directed by Emma Turner, whereas 'String' was directed by Mikey Dickinson. Their concepts and visions for the show were clearly noted and their direction was done beautifully, in such a mermising way.
Oliver Back wrote both 1plays with a passion for mysterious goings-on in the outside world. His beautifully written, strong diologue conveyed some lovely imagery. The writing was a very good standard, some memorable one-liners uttered and you could actually visualise what the characters were saying to each other, particularly in '12x8'. There was an equal amount of laughter and humour in both stories. 'Trapped' seemed a really appropriate title for both shows as the characters were stuck in their surroundings.
The cast in '12x8' consisted of Daniel Cassidy as Tom, and Mary Savage as Sally; whilst 'String' featured Thomas Galashan as the very eccentric caretaker and Liam Powell-Berry as the ruthless, property tycoon. Having a two-hander in both plays gave the actors the perfect opportunity to develop their characters and delve into their back stories a lot more. Additionally, this gave them a chance to shine and demonstrate their acting abilities to their full potential. The acting was a very good standard and the actors played their characters incredibly well addeing several layers to them.
'12x8' centres around Tom and Sally as brother and sister, they were incredibly close, literally, as they were hiding in a one room flat, whilst guarding a deadly secret from the outside world. Sally was going out doing errands, whilst Tom remained indoors. She was extremely paranoid and didn’t want him to leave their room. This created an incredible amount of tension and friction between them, as they were living in such close proximity of each other. Their close relationship was constantly being tested and strained at times.
The second story, 'String' featured the ruthless property tycoon arranging to meet up with George Nicholson, who hasn’t arrived yet at the derelict building. He soon encounters the very eccentric caretaker, which instantly causes conflict between the two characters as they are fighting over the ownership of the derelict building, which has a haunting past that the property tycoon is totally obilivious to. They soon start to experience strange goings-on and realise they aren’t alone. The derelict building has rats everywhere, which particularly terrifies the property tycoon. However, the caretaker does not seem fazed at all and has pet names for them individually. Thomas Galashan’s portrayal of the caretaker was a joy to watch and for me, stole the show with his mannerisms and character traits.
The running themes in both plays were loneliness, self-isolation, insecurities, paranoia, supernatural activity, mental health and anexity issues. The narrative of both stories managed to convey a lot of friction, conflict, drama, emotion and some laughter. There was a good flow of scenes in both shows and were timely paced.
The set design for '12x8' was very elaborate consisting of furniture, utensils, kitchen equipment and accessories in Tom and Sally’s one room. A lot of attention was paid to decorating the set to make it look lived-in. The set design for 'String' was limited to a stool on the stage, which was all that was required as this play was set in an abandoned warehouse. Doing this, added to the creepiness and isolation of their surroundings.
Osian Griffith was the Technical Manager for 'Trapped' 12x8 doing an excellent job ensuring everything technical ran smoothly. The set was brightly lit or darkened when required. The sound was very good, especially in 'String', which required a lot of noises from the rats scratching and scuttling around the derelict building. Having all these noises created an eerie atmosphere in the derelict building and added more tension to the play.
On a final note, If you’re looking to watch something dark and eerie, then look no further than 'Trapped: 12x8 and String'. I would strongly recommend you go and see this show as both stories were told in a good, solid narrative and performed brilliantly by the talented and versatile cast.
Reviewer - Mark Kyle Cooper
on - 14.7.21
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