Pros: Top notch performance from a seasoned pro.
Cons: Lightweight narrative doesn’t fulfil expectations. Funny and intense but uneven in tone.
Summary
Rating
Good
The show’s blurb asks, ‘Is beauty really only skin deep? Does ugliness hide somewhere deeper?’ Hefty questions which should provoke meaty answers; after all, the world isn’t becoming any less superficial or celebrity-obsessed. The story that unfolds (also written by Kinevane) is that of ‘Her’, who was struck by lightning as a child, almost dying but spared to live a life suffering with blasted ugliness. It’s a pitiable tale of cruelty and hope, and you’d need a heart of stone not to empathise, particularly at the vile treatment Her receives at the hands of Jasper, the schoolmate she puts her faith in.
Kinevane expertly brings to life Her, Jasper and an array of other characters including a Galapagos tortoise whose physicality he captures brilliantly, protrusive tongue and all. There’s no doubting Kinevane is a thrillingly theatrical presence, but somewhere in the maelstrom of competing characters the heartbeat of the story gets drowned out. It’s difficult to stay connected to Her’s story when we’re regularly being taken on humorous digressions to a television property show, or conducted in an audience singalong of Titanic theme tune My Heart Will Go On.
The humane exploration of misfortune and unhappiness that is Her’s story also sits somewhat uneasily besides Kinevane’s interactions with the audience, which are frequent and very funny. It’s disorientating to bounce between heartfelt emotion and the broad homespun comedy of Kinevane’s banter, which feels like it would be better suited in an episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys. I’d love to see a whole comedy show from Kinevane in this persona, but it distracts and detracts from the seriousness of the story he’s trying to tell in Underneath, ironically preventing the audience from getting below the surface.
Author: Pat Kinevane
Director: Jim Culleton
Producer: Eva Scanlan
Box Office: 020 7478 0100
Booking Link: http://sohotheatre.com/whats-on/underneath
Booking until: 17 December 2016