(4 / 5)

Ever wondered what being taken hostage would be like, particularly at the fringe? or on stage? I appreciate there may be productions that indeed make you already feel that way. But with HOSTAGE by Bad Clowns, you g… well you don’t quite get a real hostage situation but you get a comical, chaotic hour of something like one.

Bad Clowns, a madcap comedy trio, take us on a journey from a fringe show about a character named Timothy Potts, supposedly loosely based on the main actors life, when his ex-writing partner escapes prison and holds all of us hostage. It would be easy for comedy groups to reinvent the wheel from their heroes and inspiration, but this is something different. The concepts and ideas are all brand new, with only the stereotyped themes handed over by us, the audience. What is great is that you can sense the close understanding and relationship the performers have, when things go awry or they improvise, slightly corpsing but clearly having fun, not only in their production but as friends and colleagues.

The acting is brilliant, with each actor having their own fully fledged character. This not only differentiates it well but adds levels to the performance, enhancing any surprises that come our way. They also feel comfortable involving us; we’re not spectators, we are taken hostage and involved in playing devil’s advocate or taking part in a twisted Black Mirror/Squid Game vote for death. They bring us into the performance, as old friends, and sometimes as friends who are just really bloody weird.

HOSTAGE is a fun-fuelled bubble of chaos, leaving sides splitting, a sense of bewilderment but certainly something enjoyed and unlikely to forget.

(3 / 5)

A tale as old as time… well… not quite in the Beauty and the Beast sense, but in a much more relatable, modern way.

Shotgunned is a rom-com meets coming of age story, where love is strong and intense, throwing in life changing events and eventually leading to the sense of “the one that got away”. It is equally heartbreaking and humourous, and follows the lost love story-lines we see more and more of; from 500 Days of Summer, One Day and David Nicholls’ other lost love book, Sweet Sorrow… this is a love story but not with its usual happy ending.

Ros and Dylan, intertwined already by their exes, meet at a party and in time fall in love, get pregnant, lose the baby and lose one another. With the use of blackouts, we jump forward and back in time, to see the happy times and then the breakdowns, mixing the timeline to keep us guessing. This is theatre and so keeping this non-linear is a good theatrical technique. However, the blackouts felt a little amateur and lost a bit of the theatricality for me. Maybe a song and light interlude or a clever exchange of props to slide into the next scene would give this some edge.

The performers have their A game on – like any fringe show, there are interruptions from late patrons and this doesn’t disturb them. Their connection feels natural and so the hard bits feel so much harder and the nice bits feel all the bit more light. You can’t help but get into their love. But there were times where I couldn’t quite gel with them as a couple and therefore [spoiler!] when they break up and never end up together, it isn’t as gut wrenching as it is meant to be. But you’re happy for them either way. It isn’t the acting nor is it the acting… but there’s something about these characters that just doesn’t hold you as a couple.

The writing is fantastic and helps with the bouncing of the characters, using moments of calling back to make you chuckle or gasp in recognition of a former conversation or comment. These are also used to go from positive to negative and visa versa, adding layers to the intimacy of these two characters.

Shotgunned is a lovely show. I really enjoyed it, with it feeling equal parts light and blue. Once further developed, this could be something that could really resonate with audiences.

(3 / 5)

A part promenade, part traditional black box, The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women brings the past and the present in a clash of injustice.

Beginning the production, we are introduced to our guide, our jester who introduces the performance in a casual and relaxed way. This character has its own darkness and path and isn’t one to forget. We are soon introduced to four different figures from past mythologies and stories, where we are given the choice of interacting with their stories. This later propels to the current day, a courtroom and continued injustices of women.

For me, it took a little time to realise and understand the reasoning for the great transition. The style and approach to them seemed very different, a potential disconnect but in time, did begin to culminate. The stories aim to transcend space and time and show that women imprisonment and hardship isn’t a new thing; it is steeped in history, and only changed its appearance from the invention of the justice system.

A clever staging; we are brought initially into opulance of these grand women, with their gold and magnificence over us. However, there was a choice to have different stories happen at the same time; you do not get to see all of them but the ones you do see create a spacial dynamic which is hard to engage with and you really do want to engage! I fear this is more the choice of performance space than a theatrical choice; the square room is pretty large but not enough to separate the sound. Not unusual for a promenade or immersive piece, we miss out on two stories, but all the more reason to come again. Despite the sound clash, microphones are provided and, perhaps a personal choice of mine, were relied upon too much and weren’t effective. They were there to help amplify these women’s voices and only hindered. It was hard to hear all the discussions and interactions. I personally would prefer no microphones in every show and the traditional projection to be used, but appreciate that Clean Break is known for working with non-traditional actors and therefore this may not be a focus.

Despite these nigglings, we get to a point where true stories of the women we see are broadcast. And they are done with informality, with vulnerability and courage. These are powerful and supported with theatricality but not bombarded. This subtlety is immensely effective and providing that moment to hook us in. Their familiarity and kindness to us as audience members in interaction is heartwarming, breaking a bit of the beginning sense of god-like characters and positioning them as one of us mortals, continuing to help tell the story of these ordinary women.

The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women is a play with a lot of scope. The ideas are there and so is the effort, but some stage and tech choices sadly impacted its effect.