Cindy Marcolina - Page 32

Brazen experimentalism leans into performance art and blurs the lines of form and style with a non-narrative approach. They challenge the status quo chest first, challenging the very concept of a play to introduce ideas like naked existentialism, romantic disillusionment, unilateral desire, gender expectations, cultural demands, and the juxtaposition of perception and reality. They know what they’re doing. They almost mock the audience for their voyeuristic attitude with clever coups de théâtre that require as much lateral proactivity from the public.

A perplexing romanticisation of poverty and class divide with a stunning central performance by Jacob Wayne-O’Neill.

Unfortunately for writer Amalia Kontesi, this isn’t a great political play nor an exciting romantic drama.

Directed by VAULT Festival’s Head of Programming Bec Martin in her directorial debut, the play is dark in humour but not in atmosphere. The direct address establishes an immediate personal rapport and, by the end of it, you’ll wish you had a Katie Arnstein in your life.

Bebe Sanders’ latest play is a naturally flowing monologue that ambles comedy, satire, brutal honesty, and allegory. She is effortlessly funny in a relatable tale about burnout and millennial despair.

Beresford-Knox introduces a cunning monarch with a steely gaze and flawless posture. Portrayed by Frankie Hyde-Peace in a magnificent performance, Mary owns a regal poise. She rarely explodes, but when she does, it’s with composure and intention. Joined by Kelvin Giles as the Archbishop, she boasts her cruelty while he grovels.

People get very uncomfortable around death. It’s become this taboo of sorts when it’s just how life works. Leoni Amandin takes an original approach to the matter in an empathetic, surprisingly educational, funny celebration of mortality.

Created alongside Susannah Bramwell and Nina Fidderman (respectively credited as creative producer and associate artist), Right Of Way is emotionally intelligent and poignant. It straddles the line between poetry and theatre in an exquisite exploration of the “landscape of grief”. Bowden’s personal approach is life-affirming and moving. Already one of this year’s VAULT Five Artists, she confirms herself a promising theatre-maker.

Chris Yarnell directs an energetic cast. The plot is channelled through effortless movement and expressive music by Paul Freeman. A smooth figurative choreography establishes a creative attitude to physical theatre. Their tale isn’t obscure or cryptic in any way, but entertaining and utterly magnetic in its accessibility.

While Hide and Seek can be further polished, Tobia Rossi has impeccable aim as a playwright. He paints a touching picture before he violently snatches away all prospects of happiness and joy in a bid to prove the horrifying nature of homophobia.

When Brexit went from theory to reality, Clare Fraenkel looked into her German heritage and found out she was entitled to a German passport. Due to the restoration of German citizenship granted by Article 116 of the Basic Law, her grandfather’s epic escape from Nazi Germany in 1933 had a domino effect on her European future.

All in all, the concept is good but unfocused. The vignettes might need stronger intention and substance, as having roles with the same name is hardly enough to tie them together at this stage.

It's been a messy, disillusioning time for the arts. Another blow came last week when it was announced that VAULT Festival had to find a new home once this edition closed. BroadwayWorld spoke to Bec Martin, Head of Programming at VAULT, about the devastating news.

Owens scratches the surface of Welsh underdevelopment and economic deprivation, going as far as giving Julie a perfunctory invective against posh kids, but refraining from digging deeper into the issues. It’s disheartening to see such a big platform being under-exploited to the benefit of a silly narrative. Having a diversity of accents across three stages doesn't automatically guarantee quality.

In a landscape dominated by a dearth of lesbian stories, it’s refreshing to find one that doesn’t deal with sexuality at all, but focuses on the negotiations of parenthood and the complications of personal connections.

Although the script is generally articulate and well-written, there are a few passages that might need some TLC as they come off as rushed and remain unexplained. Running at just over an hour, a longer show would certainly patch up any kind of doubts we have at this point. Compositor E has the potential of becoming an exceptional piece about who actually makes history.

Nothing’s what it seems in Olivia Foan’s new play, but a sluggish build-up and even weaker ending don’t make The Tinker as exciting as it could be.

A fully formed, mature play about the intricacies of navigating young love and mental health.

Ultimately, Powell is asking who helps the people whose job is to help others. He correlates the ideas of protective isolation and arbitrary family connections, blame and regret, death and survival. The play is thought-provoking in all the right spots, but somehow the text has an unfinished feel to it. Powell has proved himself an accomplished writer. We wonder what happened this time.

Just like with Romeo and Juliet, there are a few ways to stage the Scottish Play. By leaning into the different themes, it can become a political drama or a kitchen sink tragedy. Then, there’s whatever Mark Leipacher’s version is trying to do. Performed by two actors, Shakespeare’s tale of ambition and blood-thirst becomes a starved, skeletal shadow of what the piece is.