Eigengrau

          So, Eigengrau, what does it mean? Well, its defined as 'the colour seen by the eye in perfect darkness'.

          I was invited to the press night of this production and I must admit I knew absolutely nothing about it, even that the plays title was a real word. I also didn't do any research as I wanted to go in with completely fresh eyes and without any pre-conceived ideas. Eigengrau, by British playwright Penelope Skinner, was first performed in 2010 at the Bush Theatre were it was met with critical acclaim. This production has been produced by Dark Skies Theatre, as a response to the British government starting the 'Lets Talk Loneliness' campaign in June, which is designed to try and tackle the stigma of loneliness.

          The play sees four young people in their 20s thrown together. In their struggle to find their places in the world amongst the chaotic backdrop of London, they have their beliefs tested to devastating effect. Cassie (Isabel Della-Porta) is a feminist fighting against the patriarchal oppression. Her flatmate Rose (Katie Buchholz) believes in true love and leprechauns. On the other side of London, Mark (George Fletcher) believes in his masculinity and marketing, while his flatmate Tim (Callum Sharp) is forever struggling to find the will to get out of bed in the morning.

          The theatre, Waterloo East, is hidden away in the back streets near Waterloo Station. I've walked around this area many times and not really noticed it there. Like all theatres located in the arched under railway lines, at least all the ones I've been in to, it has an over whelming smell of damp. This is kind of to be expected, but it still something I don't like. I feel very off put. I was glad when I entered that actual auditorium and fount the smell greatly reduced. The theatre space is painted black with the stage completely bare, all except six boxes of various sizes lined up along the back wall. These boxes are moved and rearranged throughout the show to create very simple but effective sets.

          Penelope Skinner's writing is sublime. It really represents the mind of young people, but also the minds of society at large. She writes what we are all thinking, or at least what we presume other people are thinking. Its extremely naturalistic and a very easy style to follow with a steady pace and clear progression of story. Its perfectly complemented in this production by the four actors. They all play extremely well off each other, with no awkward pauses or one actor being better/worse than the others. There acting was as naturalistic as the writing. They were a joy to watch. In such a small space as this theatre, one really got to see them performing their craft in detail, something larger theatres don't give you the opportunity to do.

          I was however slightly disappointed. Not with the show, but with how this show has been publicised. Now I'm not saying this because I'm a man and I want to push my masculine agenda out into the world, but the online material for this show is totally focused on the two female actors. The men get almost forgotten. I know this is a feminist piece and is all about female empowerment. In fact when the show is produced its often marketed with the line 'What does it mean to be a good feminist? What does it mean to be feminist?'. That doesn't mean however, I feel, that the male actors should be left out. The show was partly funded via Crowdfunder.co.uk, an online community were people are able to raise money from the general public rather than through bank loans and/or other lenders. On the page to advertise and promote this show (click here to see) there is no mention of George or Callum whatsoever. It simply says 'Staring RADA graduates Isabel Della-Porta and Katie Buchholz'. I could almost forgive this. Ok, maybe they started this page before they had confirmed the male actors? But then one looks at their official website. Yet they have the pictures of all four actors, and if you hover over the images their names come up. However if you click on the images of either George or Callum you are taken to the pages for Isabel and Katie. You can find literally nothing out about Callum or George, both of whom have been in a number of theatre productions and/or television shows. They are also extremely talented actors and so it seems a discredit to their skills to not have any information about them. 

          That being said, it was a good production. Its wasn't the most enthralling thing I've ever seen, but nine years after it was first preformed its still as relevant as ever. I know form experience how lonely a crowded city can feel. How it can be a struggle to find ones place in the world or to understand your self worth. Yes this may be a piece with feminist undertones, well not undertones they are thrown in your face right from the start, but its a show relevant to all. 

The show is running at Waterloo East Theatre until September 22nd 2019

For more information about the show or to book tickets, click here

Games For Lovers

          Tickets for this show are only between £20 and £35, it has Evanna Lynch performing (who is most known for playing Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series), plus its being performed at The Vaults which is a theatre space I've been to only once before, so I decided to see if this comedy had lived up to all I'd heard. For the most part it really did, but I had a few issues.

          My first issue is with the theatre itself. At the name of the theatre suggests, its in the vaulted arched close to Waterloo Station in Central London. The noise of trains passing overhead is a little distracting but is to be expected, however the stench of damp was slightly overpowering. It wasn't even a wet day however the smell filled my nostrils from the moment I walked through the door. This was very similar to when I visited Above The Stag, however the smell at The Vaults lingered into the performance space itself. This smell isn't ideal when one is trying to become immersed in the show and almost forget about the real world.

          The second issue I had was with the performance of Billy Postlethwaite. Not with the fact he was over acting, this was the character, but with his constant breaking of the fourth wall. For those of you who don't know this is when the actor or actors acknowledge the audience is there watching. Sometimes this can work well in a performance, but not here. To start with he was the only one of the four actors doing it. Yes there where times when all of them would talk out to the audience during moments of narration, but the other actors would sort of blankly look in the audiences direction. Billy however seemed to make a point of looking people directly in the eyes. He would then also do it whilst performing scenes. When a couple arrived late or a women went to the toilet, he interacted with them and went 'off script'. Very off putting and out of place seeing as no one else was doing this. If this was a decision of the director Anthony Banks, then this was a very poor and misguided decision. If this was all on Billy, then someone really needs to have a stern word from him. Other than his audience interaction, he was a brilliant actor.

          The show is performed with traverse staging, with the audience on two sides of the stage, facing towards each other. This is another slight, and I mean only slight, issue I have. I always find when this is the staging, the actors are very much always making a conscious effort to look in the direction of both audience so as to not always be performing to one side. It was very much something I could see all the actors were constantly aware of. Right I've been looking in this direction, so let me now suddenly change where I'm looking so the other half can see me. The only show I've seen where traverse staging was brilliantly utilised was at the Young Vic theatre for their 2016 and 2017 production of Yerma.

          The staging was an interesting choice, with large geometric shapes in bright colours on the walls and floor along with geometric shapes like the building blocks in a toy box. I'm not overly sure on why this staging was chosen, but it worked well. Maybe it was because it wasn't distracting from the performances. It sort of faded into the background almost, to allow the actors to stand out. This is one possibility anyway. It was beautifully staged and directed by Anthony Banks, as well as wonderful and emotive lighting by Matt Haskin and sound design by Ben and Max Ringham.

          It has been superbly written by Ryan Craig, whose plays usually involve both ethical and social matters. In Games For Lovers he expertly navigates the world of sex and love, with the characters caught in a complex game of rivalry, desire and seduction. I found it to be an accurate portrayal of young adults finding there feet in the world of sex and relationships. From the cocky man who believes he must act like a bit of a prick to attract women, to the girl who's confused by her emotions. From the boy who develops feelings for his best friend to the girl who sees any other woman as a threat. All four actors performed brilliantly, really making their characters human. I have to say though I was so impressed by Calum Callaghan who's performance really stood out. He was the one who for me was the most real and the one who I could most easily identify with. Not because of how his character was feeling or what he was doing, but because something about him made me instantly connected. Evanna Lynch was also exceptionally good, though at times I couldn't help but see similarities between her character in this show and Luna Lovegood. Her performance though was heartfelt and was at times full of such realism. 

          There was the perfect balance of comedy and drama. Moments of sadness then suddenly something happens where you just cant help but laugh. I was so glad I saw this show as it really brightened up my evening. If you have the chance, get a ticket. Just be prepared for the smell of damp.

To purchase ticket or find out more information, click here