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Week two of Reboot Festival offers an innovative line-up of short plays that are varied and unique.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Week two of Reboot Festival 3 offers four short plays and promises a “glance into the writers of tomorrow”. “Glance” seems appropriate as the plays are packed into a 90-minute runtime. Such an intense format demands concision, and hesitant audiences might struggle with this short timeframe. This unusual requirement by no means detracts from the event. In fact, a bolder, more active audience will get the most from the incredible pace of the format, which at times captures the emotional and imaginative intensity unique to fringe theatre. Barons Court Theatre is an attractive setting for this ambitious, well-paced experience.
The Dying Speech of a Living Legend ★★★
The Dying Speech of a Living Legend comes first, which despite feeling uneven is still full of promise. Daniel Connelly’s writing and Anna Clart’s direction capitalise on the short timeframe. A childish and terrifying despot (Adam Walker-Kavanagh) undergoes his maddened death throes as the clock ticks down to a deadly salvo of missiles. He barks orders to his mute Sergeant (Oliver Maynard) whose growing anxiety contrasts evocatively with Walker-Kavanagh’s enthused nonchalance. Maynard’s facial expressions are well-timed and a source of much of the comedy. Unfortunately, some of Walker-Kavanagh’s jokes failed to produce laughs. Repeated offhand mentions of horrific violence lack depth so feel gratuitous, losing their comedic effect and lessening the production’s impact. However, this is still an invigorating start. Connelly’s writing deftly highlights the dehumanising power dynamics of tyranny, whilst Clart’s direction lends a frantic violence through spurts of dialogue and sudden physicality.
Spark ★★★
Audience proximity with performers, and the potential for their close rapport, is taken full advantage of in Spark. Siân Rowland’s script traces the intricate landscape of adolescent relationships and alongside Isabella Forshaw’s direction produces a lingering sense of gentle horror and a palpable, churning guilt as events unfold. India Lewis and Fergus Head successfully capture the pressure upon their characters, who deal with conflicting social mores, teenage cliques and internal confusion as they navigate their burgeoning relationship. This production is both funny and moving, with an intense audience connection. Unfortunately, the time constraint can be felt in places: the non-linear approach to plot is effective, but some of the chronological jumps feel disjointed.
Road Trip ★★★
The venue’s small stage is used effectively in the surreal, innovative Road Trip. A blu‑tacked sign telling the audience that the actors are driving is a light-hearted beginning to this play, which considers distressing themes. Two boxes are the only props, used as car-seats and turned 90 degrees as the characters make decisions during their journey. This minimalist staging leaves space for the performances of Phoebe Gunson and Eleanor Willis, whose chemistry is key to conveying the complex emotions explored as their characters’ relationship is rocked by personal conflict and loss. The surreal scenes conjured up by Katherine Vond’s writing are particularly affecting, although the ending feels rushed in a way that dulls the impact of the production, rather than enhancing it.
Things Unsaid ★★★★
The standout show of Reboot Festival’s second week is Things Unsaid. It follows a couple’s final date night as their relationship falls apart. Joe Cook and Francesca Isherwood portray a couple whose world is marred by suspicion and fraught with repressed fury. Cook plays Bill, perfectly capturing a man stubbornly refusing to commit, desperately trying to reconcile and process his feelings as he attempts to deceive his partner. Isherwood’s Margaret is slowly accepting the deterioration of their relationship, and the impossibility of them preserving or moving past their honeymoon phase. Her quiet fury is powerful, and it is both gratifying and heart-breaking to see her conversationally outmanoeuvre Bill, gaining the confidence to walk out. The depth of their psyches and their true feelings are expertly conveyed by Chris Laishley and Francesca Woods, who hover behind the couple, voicing their internal monologues, often contradicting and arguing with each other and themselves. Laishley stands out here, offering both witty ridicule and a sense of doomed desperation. In this way, Payne’s writing foregrounds the awkward frustration of communication in a relationship, whilst also interrogating the often-baffling nature of self-expression.
Reboot Festival 3 is a vital opportunity for writers in an industry that often seems impenetrable. This event is intense yet rewarding, and week two certainly showcases some unique, enjoyable shows full of promise energy and passion.
Reboot Festival 3 was produced by: Kibo Productions
The Dying Speech of a Living Legend
Written by: Daniel Connelly
Directed by: Anna Clart
Spark
Written by: Siân Rowland
Directed by: Isabella Forshaw
Road Trip
Written by: Katherine Vond
Directed by: Chelsea Sheldon
Things Unsaid
Written by: Reagan Payne
Directed by: Ed Hulme
Reboot Festival 3 plays at Barons Court Theatre until 23 September. The reviewed line up is on until 16 September, with a new line up of shows for the third and final week. Further information and bookings can be found here.
