Their opening play, ‘The Earth Project’ was humorous and,
although far-fetched, somehow wildly relatable to the audience. Written and
directed by Victoria Tunnah, with the help of Josie Cerise; this twenty minute
piece was a great way to open the show. It eased the audience in and had them
giggling throughout. The piece focused on a mother (played wonderfully and with
great comic timing by Liz Thompson) who is facing the loss of her daughter
(played by Lucy Philip) as she finally flies the nest. Only the new nest she is
flying to in this instance is one on another planet! Special mention must go
here to actor Kivan Dene, who portrayed an awkward alien with wonderful
physicality and movement. Although only appearing in the final five minutes or
so, he elevated the humour of the production to leave the opening play on an
even higher note.
The second piece of writing was entitled ‘Jeanie Is
Feeling Better At The Marie Stopes Clinic’ and was a monologue with the only
actor played by Nicole Evans. Written by Kirsty Smith, this piece was a much
more sombre one in comparison to the first. Although there were some real
moments of humour in there, the topic of abortion was a bitter pill to swallow.
The movement was minimal and director Amy Lewis along with actor Evans did well
to hold our attention throughout. The moments that spoke the loudest and were often
the most humorous were the unspoken moments, or a more appropriate phrase to
use here might be the use of pregnant pauses (given the subject matter of the
play). Evans played Jeanie with a real honesty which I enjoyed and her use of
emotion was powerful, the only comment I would make is that it was a little
quiet in parts making it a struggle to catch some of the dialogue.
The third and final piece before the interval was
entitled, ‘A Saleswoman’, in which a young woman enters an elderly lady’s home in
an attempt to con her into buying insurance. Sarah Mather as Kath brought great
energy from the opening and the chemistry between all three actors was great,
with Mather, Eaves and Bradshaw working well as an ensemble. Writer Jade Jiao
did well to incorporate an excellent twist in the play’s short time frame,
incorporating intrigue and mystery effectively. This twist was further
emphasised by the casting choices, but was an excellent decision in my opinion.
Director Kailey McGowan directed here and did a great job also.
The fourth play, written by Jerusha Green was entitled,
‘We Came In A Little Red Boat’. On the surface this sounds like children’s
playtime but carried much more depth. A line that stuck with me from this piece
was ‘No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the
land’. Directed by Zoey Barnes and with a cast of three (Stafford, Adesonya and
Uzo) that all played two characters, this was a very ambitious play with very
serious and troubling themes, which I think would therefore benefit from being
developed into a longer script. This was the only production of the six that
had multiple scenes and full costume changes, which is difficult to do smoothly
in just twenty minutes. Overall this play was moving but I would love to see it
developed into a two act production.
The fifth piece was another monologue, but this one
played out much more like a stand-up comedy routine or a show at a cabaret.
‘Essential Needs’, written by Karen Featherstone and directed by Audrey Cook; the
play focused on Mary, a wheelchair-bound woman desperate to be pleased sexually
by her husband, Roy. Mary was played by Melissa Chapin with great comic timing
and a real likeability that had us rooting for Mary. Chapin’s improvisation
skills also shone through here. A few of the pauses between lines were a little
long as Chapin glanced down at her script but this can be forgiven as she held
the audience in the palm of her hand throughout.
The sixth and final play, written by Valerie Bundy and
directed by Leni Murphy, stole the show. ‘Inspector Hector, Crime Detector’ was
a riotous murder mystery comedy that had the audience in hysterics, and to me
was a blend of ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’, ‘Cleudo’ and ‘Acorn Antiques’. With
three actors (Kivan Dene, Victoria Tunnah and Saskia Pay) all multi-role
playing at least a dozen characters in a hectic and haphazard way, with only a
singular item of clothing to distinguish between each one. It takes great skill
from both the director and the cast to choreograph something so seemingly
chaotic in such a successful way.
The varying themes and styles of each play made the
evening an emotional rollercoaster which seemed to be enjoyed by every audience
member. Let us hope that in the future, Blue Stocking Theatre Company are able
to get the funding they deserve to do such wonderful productions on a much
larger scale. However, it must also be said that the chosen location of 53two
was perfect for ‘All The Rage’ as it is warm and inviting. I have been to see
two productions in this theatre since its opening and it already feels like
home.
Reviewer – Megan Relph
on - 6.10.21
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