THEATRE REVIEW: Bricks - 53Two, Manchester

Six short plays, bringing together writers, directors and actors for an explosive and intense evening of hard hitting plays around disturbing subjects.

This performance of ‘Bricks’ had brought together a large crowd of Manchester’s theatre scene, and the opportunity to see so many talented artists working together to stage short and profound punches of theatre, made for an electric atmosphere. The audience were completely behind what they were about to see, even though the plays were dark and told gut-wrenching stories, where there were opportunities to laugh the audience took their cue without hesitation.

The standout piece for me was ‘Loving The Bones Of You’ by David Payne, directed by Simon Naylor, assistant director Kelsea Knox. Gill, a devoted mother (Karen Henthorn), fusses over her student daughter Claire (Liz Simmons) as she tries to write a paper for her studies. The scene begins with a comical tone, as the mother fusses in a stereotypical way, over food, relationships, life stages. Henthorn’s comedy timing and over-the-top emphatic noises had the audience laughing out loud, but the atmosphere changed as the fussing turned into something incessant. The mother character became so frantic over her daughter’s eating disorder and lack of being able to control it that there is the crux and most dramatic moment of the play (no spoilers!). It is a harrowing moment that stayed with me. Henthorn and Simmons performed this piece with a resonating amount of talent that shook its audience. Direction by Naylor and Knox took its audience on an unsettling dive into a toxic relationship erupting in a dramatic death scene, the action was well choreographed and vision for the climatic ending well executed.

Other great moments from the night included, Tachia Newall’s portrayal of the character Rennie, an incredibly sweet and optimistic comic book shop owner. Newall owned the stage with his performance, bearing a heart-wrenching vulnerability to the character. And in ‘The Crowd Goes Wild’ Daniel Jillings gave a rousing performance as a bereaved and troubled father, hardly moving from standing centre stage, Jillings commanded the space, letting his wave of grief and anger be palpably felt by the audience.

Six plays, each dealing with upsetting scenarios. All the plays were extremely well acted, all the actors gave outstanding performances. Here’s to hoping for more works like this from 53Two that hopefully go on to inspire further great hard-hitting pieces.

Reviewer - Kerry Ely
on - 24.3.23