FORM

          FORM is a show from theatre company Rendered Retina. Using 20,000 paper balls, the show takes audiences on a hilarious and moving journey of one man's attempt to escape routine, to wonderful worlds and whisk you away on a visual voyage. This show uses no spoken word (except grunting), physical theatre, clowning/mime all of which is nicely pushed along with original music.

          When I was invited along to see this show, I was rather excited. With a concept that sounded interesting and at a theatre I'd never been to before (the Camden Peoples Theatre) I was waiting with anticipation for the show to start. It won 'Best Show' at Paris Fringe 2018 and was the winner of the Les Enfants Terribles Award 2017 so I had high hopes going into the theatre.

          I wasn't disappointed. Its not an over exaggeration to say I think this is some of the best pieces of theatre I've ever seen. The three performers, Tom Mangan, Alex Mangan and Jordan Choi have such great chemistry and energy together. They complement each others performances perfectly, bringing just the right amount of energy to the show. The relationship and trust they've built over the 11 years they've known each other is all too clear, with the production running like a well oiled machine. 

          I was transfixed throughout, unable to look away. In fact the whole audience was engulfed by the brilliance of this show. We were all completely silent except for the moments of laughter we collectively experienced out of pure joy from what we were watching. An imaginative show that took as all along for the ride, bringing us as an audience into their world. And what a world that is. I didn't want to come back to reality. The 20,000 paper balls were used brilliantly to push along the story and act as a base for every scene. With the entire stage being used there was never a dull moment. They all use their bodies and faces very expressively, and even though they don't talk you know exactly what their characters are thinking or how they are feeling. Yes, sometimes the facial movements can be a bit over the top, but in a way that added to the show rather than distract form it.

          I know this is a rather short review but I really cant say any more. There is nothing to criticize (other than the fact the waiting area at the theatre is rather small). It was simply perfection. If you have the time, you MUST see this show. I will certainly be interested to see how this theatre company develops and to see what they do next. They say on their website "We want our work to leave lasting images with those who see it." They have certainly achieved that with me.

For more information about theatre company Rendered Retina, click here
To find more information and/or book tickets for FORM (at 2019 Camden Fringe), please 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

Come From Away

          When I explained to people that I was going to be seeing a musical based on events that occurred on September 11th 2001, I had some very confused looks. I fully understand where these looks were coming from. Its not about the actual terrorists attacks in new York City or Washington, but instead the events that unfolded in the town of Gander in Newfoundland Canada. Gander is a smallish town with a population of around 11,500. On September 11th, after the terrorist attacks and the closure of US airspace, 38 plans carrying almost 7,000 passengers were diverted to its airport as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. Why Gander, well it has a large international airport that was used in the past for planes making transatlantic flights when they needed to refuel. Most planes don't need to do this anymore, so the airport was no longer the hive of activity it once used to be.

          This is a show full of comedy but also at times is completely heart wrenching. The story, understandably, follows a very linier pattern, with moments of narration be multiple characters, to explain what's happening and fill in some gaps. These moments push the story along nicely. There are however moments I found it very hard to understand exactly what characters were saying. Mind you in the first song of the show, 'Welcome To The Rock', one of the first lines is:

Welcome to the rock if you come from away

You probably understand about a half of what we say

          I should have guessed I might have an issue understanding some things. Not that this affected me enjoying the show however. I just took it as part of the show.

          When looking up information about the show, I mistakenly got the impression the show was focused on the character of Beverley Bass. She was one of the pilots of a diverted aircraft that landed at Gander. Coincidentally she was also the first female Captain for American Airlines. Rachel Tucker expertly performs the role, though it would be unfair to the rest of the cast to call her the lead. By no means do I wish this to undermine her performance as she was engaging and full of energy, also giving the sensitive nature of the subject the respect it needs. Her role was a sort of anchor for the show, every now and again showing what she was up to in a way to place the show at a specific time or to gage what was happening.

          There was in fact no main character whatsoever. All the characters had equal representation within the musical score as well as script. In fact that's one of my main take aways from the show. Its very much an ensemble production, something almost unusual on the stage at the moment. How nice it was to see such a thing. There also wasn't a bad, or less than adequate, performer in the entire cast. Again, something unusual though not unwelcome. In fact I cant really criticize any cast member at all. All performed there roles perfectly and with such enthusiasm it was infectious. I would like though to give a special mention to Jenna Boyd, who plays Beulah Davis. She was a complete breath of fresh air, bringing the most laughs and continually making me smile. I connected with her. I will be watching out for her in the future.

          Anything based on the events of the 9/11 attacks is bound to me moving and emotional. The story shows the best of human kindness and of all things that are good with humanity. There were a couple of moments I was moved to tears. Not at all during tragic or sad moments, but at times of true kindness. One was when people were trying to communicate with a couple who spoke no English and so were very scared of the situation as they had no idea what was going on. The person started communicating by pointing to lines from the Bible. If you know a line from the Bible, you can find it no matter what language the Bible happens to be in as it will always be in the same place. This completely moved me and really touched my heart.

          The show is just sublime. A fantastic piece of theatre that I'm sure will go down in theatre history. It turns one of the most shocking moments of recent history into one of the most uplifting and empowering stories of human kindness and our resilience in the face of adversity. I would happily go see this show over and over again, and I couldn't recommend it more.

          The show is currently showing on Broadway in New York City and the West End in London. It is also currently touring the USA and is currently playing in Toronto Canada until September 29th 2019. It will also be opening in Melbourne Australia in July 2019.

For information on the Broadway production and US tour, click here

For information on the London production, click here

For information on the Canadian production (booked to run until Sept 2019), click here

For information on the Australian production, click here