Sunday, 30 April 2017

Late Company, Finborough Theatre | Review

Late Company
Finborough Theatre

Reviewed on Friday April 28th 2017 by Olivia Mitchell

★★★★

Late Company is one of the most moving and well executed plays I've seen. Written by award-winning Canadian playwright, Jordan Tannahill when he was only twenty-three, it follows two families dealing with the roles they played in the suicide of a young boy.

Michael and Debora Shaun-Hastings are the parents of teenager, Joel who died by suicide a year earlier. They have invited the Dermots: mother and father Tamara and Michael and their son, Curtis who played a big role in the bullying that led to Joel's suicide, round for dinner to build bridges and get "closure". The play is a study of grief, cyber bullying, parental guidance and homophobia among many other issues.

Of course this is a heavy subject and there's no avoiding that but the admirable thing with this play is that nothing is pushed or over emoted. The issues come forward naturally and the audience become greatly involved. The intimate setting, brilliant acting, writing, stage design and lighting all play a key factor in allowing the audience to get lost in the production. At points I forgot I was watching as an audience member and really felt that I was at the dinner party.

The small cast of five are all equally outstanding with Alex Lowe, Lisa Stevenson, Todd Boyce and Lucy Robinson playing the roles of the parents in a heartfelt way but fully showing the flaws in their parenting techniques and world views. David Leopold is exceptional as Curtis, embodying the teenage withdrawal and innocence perfectly and conveying so much with few words and short sentences.

Praise must be given to Michael Yale for his faultless direction which established the permeating emotion to seep into every audience member. There was such intimacy but it didn't feel overwhelming, almost as if we were all flies on the wall watching the dinner party unfold. Yale's handling of the script is sympathetic, pure, relevant and intelligent.

Late Company is more relevant now than ever and the entire company manages to bring the issues forward in a stunning way. It's an engaging look at the society we live in and the how impacts of what we do, which may seem innocent, can affect people. It encourages us to look at our own actions and to make sure we face problems head on instead of avoiding them and potentially facing horrific consequences. These issues surround us at all times so there's no point pretending they're not there and Late Company has done a wonderful job at bringing them to the forefront.

Late Company runs at the Finborough Theatre until 20th May 2017

Photo credit: Charlie Round Turner

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Late Company, Finborough Theatre | Review

Sunday, 30 April 2017

Monday, 19 September 2016

This Little Life of Mine, Park Theatre | Press Launch

Last Thursday on September 15th members of the press were invited to the launch for what promises to be an exciting, new contemporary musical drama following the story of a modern couple in London as they face all the ups and downs of life.

We got to hear a selection of songs from the show and although the cast have only been rehearsing for a short time they were incredibly polished. The songs are catchy and contemporary and I can definitely see them becoming staples on musical theatre fans playlists. Hey Prince Charming was a personal favourite- its been in my head since Thursday so its definitely catchy!

Set against an instantly recognisable backdrop of eye-watering house prices, unreliable dating apps and over-friendly coffee baristas, This Little Life of Mine looks at what happens when we can’t have everything that we want.

This Little Life of Mine is produced by Stage Traffic Productions a newly formed theatre company set up by Michael Yale (Book and Director) and Eilene Davidson (Producer) focussed on what live performance does well- engaging and enthralling audiences.

The cast is comprised of only four extremely talented people: Greg Barnett, Kate Batter, Caroline Deverill and James Robinson who between them have incredible credits and are sure to be sublime in this show.

The show is choreographed by Tracy Allsop, with set and costume design by Zahra Mansouri and video artisty by Jack Henry. The music is written by Charlie Round-Turner and musical direction is by Thomas Dunchan.

This is certainly one of my most anticipated shows and I can't wait to see how the storyline plays out. This promises to be an honest, quirky, current musical, relatable for anyone who is trying to navigate the crazy world we're living in!

This Little Life of Mine will run at the Park Theatre from October 4th to October 29th.

Read my review of the show: http://www.rewritethisstory.com/2016/10/review-this-little-life-of-mine-at-park.html

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