Cindy Marcolina - Page 33

In 45 minutes, Brace doesn’t have any answers to Ace’s uncertainties, but his queries aim the spotlight at a subject that still isn’t staged much. He gives a profound insight into the doubts and tribulations of growing up with platonic feelings and sexual confusion. It’s a heartwarming, touching coming-of-age story.

After Hitler’s death and the German defeat, the Führer’s top nuclear scientists are being held in the English countryside while the Pacific continues. With nothing to do but read redacted newspapers, skim through familiar books, and write censored letters, the six men wallow in their boredom, unaware that they’re being recorded.

It’s a show about everything and nothing, with comic patterns that are so deliciously millennial and referential that a lack of contextual knowledge from the audience destroys its outcome. When the pieces fit together, however, your cheeks will be sore from laughing for an hour straight. They’re unafraid to overdo all of it, resulting in effectively caustic observations on the entertainment industry and how its advocacy is ultimately a self-serving sham.

“How do you raise a son?” is the leitmotif question that runs through Olugbeminiyi Bammodu’s one-man play. He is John, a second-generation Nigerian in the UK, who was raised by a mother who loved her two sons and daughter evenly but differently and a father who treated his brother to days out while he stayed home baking.

The piece interrogates the very core of our existence, bringing up a line-up of themes that are as thought-provoking as they are difficult to explore in 75 minutes. Lateral reflections on the limitation of free will and the ethics of choosing euthanasia sit side by side with an interesting view of the simulation of consciousness and questions on the rapid improvement of AI technology. In a world where ChatGPT is querying the purpose of human input, it’s all quite timely, but Good Day ultimately doesn’t analyse its arguments.

Meyler’s empathetic style has the capacity to make this a polished drama filled with escapism. Her writing has a bittersweet vein, vividly depicting how real-life expectations can mar and taint the power of imagination. It would be interesting to see Kites focus more on the character’s reality and how Irish history comes into play as they bury their feelings for one another and they plunge into melancholic disillusionment.

Gush is an unassuming comedy with big stand-up vibes until its real nature is revealed. The show takes an abrupt u-turn right before the end, unveiling the writer’s plea. Will Armstrong directs with explosive energy, leaning into the initial weakness of the narrative and juxtaposition between Neil’s cheeriness and the dramatic sound design.

Back at VAULT Festival for another rollicking production, Incognito Theatre take their humour seriously. The company deliver a smooth, entertaining comedy that’s unpretentious but well-calibrated in its refinement. Catherine Cranfield directs Angus Castle-Doughty, Charlie MacVicar, Daniel Whitlam, Alex Maxwell, and George John with a sleek and expressive physical vision.

ReMythed zhuzhes up a series of fables, giving it a queer spin, to put what many consider “modern concepts” in perspective and combating LGBTQ+ erasure. They rejig handed-down tales from all over the world, questioning identities, challenging heteronormativity as well as “traditional values”. The company are a delight. 

Sellman-Leava’s piece was only a work-in-progress at the last pre-pandemic VAULT Festival. Since then, it’s had a run at Edinburgh last summer and a subsequent tour, growing into a surprisingly introspective and revelatory exploration of the effects of fanship.

Tim Edge’s new play is technically stunning and infused with striking visuals, but a narrative let-down. Joseph Ed Thomas’ lighting and Kavanagh’s sound design are what makes Under The Black Rock.

Since the cusp of the pandemic, the founder and artistic director of the company, Angus Castle-Doughty has been busy. After a stint in Brighton in 2022, he’s about to bring their new production, The Net Kill, underground, but theatre hasn’t really been the focus of Castle-Doughty’s post-Covid life.

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.