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Day: 20 March 2018

Review: Myopia

Written by Jess Johnstone on . Posted in Theatre.

An unknown place and six unknown people; this is the premise for Martha Treves’ Myopia. The final piece in this MIFTA season certainly didn’t disappoint – flowing easily between tension and humour, the piece captured my attention from start to finish. The preset was understated and really set the tone for the rest of the piece. With all cast members sitting on chairs facing outwards towards the audience in a semi-circle, the various stages of stillness and agitation had me intrigued before I’d even taken my coat off. With this I have to mention the use of the chairs throughout the production: the transitions from scene to scene were impeccable with the chairs only adding to the piece rather than detracting from the action. The physical use of the chairs, with the ensemble rocking back and forth while inhaling and exhaling was visually engaging and tied the piece wonderfully to its ever present theme of the air tightening.

The entire production was flawless; the music, thanks to Dom Gowland, perfectly created this world that we as an audience were observing and even the trams rumbling above 53two, which are usually a nuisance, added to the overall effect of the world created in the piece. The lighting and transitions were handled perfectly, creating a wonderfully dystopian feel to this unknown location.

I have to say that all the cast worked together incredibly well; however Rory Calland and Holly Willmott really stood out for me, even in moments of stillness or inaction I couldn’t stop watching their character’s relationship slowly develop throughout the play. Calland in particular often provided small moments of comic relief in an otherwise intense show. Daisy Shuttleworth also inhabited her character seamlessly developing throughout the piece, in a gradual build to her final monologue in which we as an audience are made to feel helpless.

The writing for me was strongest both at the beginning and end of the piece; I felt that there perhaps could have been more of a build up to each member having to leave to place, although I was still hooked by the plot. The physical aspects of the production were superbly put together and really worked to great differing relationships between the characters and the space they were inhabiting.

As the final MIFTA I think Myopia did well to round off a diverse season to a high standard.

Review: Spring Awakening

Written by Grace Currie on . Posted in Theatre.

Anya Reiss’ adaptation of the classic German play Spring Awakening is not an easy show, dealing with topics including rape, domestic violence, and suicide. However, in the Drama Society’s penultimate MIFTA, director Phoebe Gibby handled these issues with maturity and care. Every troubling aspect of the piece felt significantly developed and understood by the performers, so as not to glaze over or undermine the importance of these issues.

Every member of the ensemble was incredibly strong from the get-go. In the opening scenes, the two groups of girls and boys were strikingly familiar to those of us who remember the awkwardness of our teenage years. Their relationships were well-developed and natural, though I would have liked to see more interaction between Ernst and Hans in the earlier stages of the show, even as simply friends, so as to support the later revelation that they are secretly together.

Nick Kane gave an outstanding performance as the troubled Melchior, effectively conveying the struggle to understand various elements of ‘growing up’. Despite seeming the oldest of the group of boys, Kane’s Melchior had a lovely vulnerability which made the ending all the more upsetting to watch. Furthermore, he was matched perfectly by Ele Robinson’s heartbreakingly naïve Wendla. Their awkward chemistry in the earlier scenes was lovely, and her horrifying realisation that she was pregnant and the struggle against her mother made troubling but compelling viewing. The direction of the rape scene was unashamedly difficult to watch, but did not feel like it was simply for shock-factor or the dramatic main event of the play.

Tom Thacker was brilliantly awkward as Moritz, demonstrating the melodrama of teenage life and attempting to understand girls, grades and expectations. It would have been beneficial perhaps to see more frustration from his character at the way the world seems to turn against him in order to justify his suicide, particularly following Melchior’s mother’s reluctance to help him, but then again, the seemingly impulsive nature of the suicide was what made it so tragic. The school assembly following Moritz’s suicide perfectly balanced Reiss’ moments of dark humour with the heartbreaking truth of the scene. Just watching their faces as they reacted to the announcement showed how deeply they each understood their characters, particularly Morgan Meredith’s devastating performance as Ilse, and really brought home the impact the events had on the confused teenagers.

In moments where the teens interacted with their parents, the other members of the group role-played as the older characters. This was a very clever way of demonstrating their inability to properly communicate with the older generation, and show how they misunderstand or lack knowledge. Eliza Teale was especially stand-out in these scenes, for the sharp contrast between her awkward, reserved performance as Wendla’s mother, compared to the asides given as the sassy Thea.

Visually, I enjoyed the simplicity of the show, with the playground setting making for an uncomfortable juxtaposition with the adult nature of the events. The lighting was a little heavy-handed at times, with some jarring snap shifts and overly implicit uses of colour, and I would have liked to see some more creative and subtle uses to enhance the action. Overall, however, the production was well developed, beautifully performed and a vividly truthful representation of the difficulties of adolescence, proving Reiss’ adaptation successfully translates the struggles of the teenagers in the early 1900s to a contemporary setting.