4 STARS, Feb 3 – March 3. Catherine Bardrick enjoys a richly rewarding and riveting roundabout of contemporary drama at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond
Jonathan Keenan
Sally Messham, Katie Elin Salt and Hasan Dixon in How To Be A Kid
The Paines Plough mission to commission, produce and tour new plays far and wide, the length and breadth of the country, was first mooted back in 1974 over a pint of Paines bitter in the Plough pub. Since then, some 130 new plays have been staged with 22 shows produced in the last two years alone, performed in 180 places across four continents. In collaboration with Theatr Clwyd and the Orange Tree Theatre, Programme 2018 brings three short, sharp and striking plays to Richmond – How to be a Kid by Sarah McDonald-Hughes, Black Mountain by Brad Birch, and Out of Love by Elinor Cook. Each lasting approximately one hour and all directed by James Grieve, this trio of plays showcases a rich and rewarding roundabout of contemporary drama.
Winner of the Best Play for Young Audiences at the Writers Guild Awards 2018, How to be a Kid targets an audience aged 7 plus with an entertaining story about Molly and the problems she experiences when her mother is hospitalised, and she temporarily has to go into Care at the Riverside. Although it touches on the darker side of life dealing with death, Depression, loss – as well as highly irritating younger brothers obsessed with dinosaurs, it does so with a lightness of touch delivering the message of BT’s old slogan “It’s good to talk” in a lively and exuberant fashion. Indeed it comes with its own health warning: “Contains dancing, chocolate cake and an epic car chase” and indeed it was lovely to see so many young children in the audience clearly engaged and delighted by the performance.
Jonathan Keenan
Hasan Dixon and Katie Elin Salt in Black Mountain
Black Mountain is an entirely different kettle of fish firmly located in the genre of a taut psychological thriller which unfolds with many twists and turns as Paul and Rebecca attempt to rescue their relationship in a remote house in the country. All is not what it seems as the edgy drama plays with honesty and deception, betrayal and forgiveness and when the axe goes missing from the woodshed, the tension and suspense is ratcheted up to a whole new level as the audience begins to understand what Rebecca may mean by her need for Paul to experience the kind of pain she has been feeling! And the ending will certainly provoke much discussion as to what has actually taken place! A clever use of strobe lighting, dry ice, darkness, torchlight, silences and pauses all effectively contribute to the eerie atmosphere of this most intriguing drama.
Jonathan Keenan
Hasan Dixon and Sally Messham in Out of Love
The final play in the trio Out of Love is a poignant portrayal of the intensity of female friendship across a lifetime. Grace and Lorna are best friends forever and we witness their love, dreams and rivalry throughout the years as they move from teenage adolescent crushes to more difficult adult choices amidst the pressures and influences whereby one leaves town and the other has to stay. The structure of the play which frequently flashes between past and present serves to enhance its poignancy, and the final scene is particularly moving in this respect. Sharp, pithy dialogue and finely observed characterisation complete this funny and affecting piece.
Seeing all three plays on the same day really helped to appreciate the sheer talent and versatility of the three actors Sally Messham (recently seen in BBC’s Miniaturist), Katie Elin-Salt and Hasan Dixon who not only starred in all three dramas, but also played multiple roles within each. Ranging from playing young children and awkward adolescents to wayward teens and disturbed adults they all delivered perfectly pitched performances facilitated by Grieve’s expert direction. It was also interesting to see just how much the joy of storytelling could be so effectively achieved by a simple circle drawn on the floor – the most minimalist of sets and staging but the maximum in terms of the magic of theatre. Highly Recommended!
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