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A focused and well-acted story in the lives of two characters. It’s a serious discussion about the world of the arts, for artists and audiences, whilst having a lot of fun along the way.Summary
Rating
Good
It’s immediately recognisable that the title of this show is a take on the cult 1987 film ‘Withnail and I’. And whilst I’ve never seen the film, the show description tells you that ‘you don’t have to have seen the film to enjoy this show’. Which is reassuring, because my knowledge of the plot is virtually non-existent. Rather With Nail and Without Nail is ‘a modern, feminist reimagining’ of the story about two struggling artists awaiting their big break. Here, we have two female actresses discussing the highs and lows of showbusiness and the starring roles which they just missed out on.
Within the first five minutes we fully understand the fragile situations of the pair, whilst they await their starring roles. Nell (Chakira Alin) designs posters and has a desperate idea of selling jewellery made from cereal. Christy (Rachel Andrews) makes ends meet by working as an entertainer at children’s birthday party; we immediately know that this is a modern setting when she enters the stage wearing an Elsa costume. Their food supplies are down to a last box of cereal, a jar of (out of date) olives, and one bottle of drink. Whilst they bemoan the fact that they hey have not yet hit the big breakout roles they hoped for, this is clearly not due to their lack of acting skill. Although they will get other people’s names wrong and use incorrect terms in their conversations, they will suddenly launch into reciting word perfect monologues or songs from plays which they admire.
The script by Maria Telnikoff is sharp and fast paced, with a lot of clever observations about the world of showbusiness. The characters discuss the inherent contradictions of casting celebrities to draw regular audiences to the theatre, whilst simultaneously increasing prices to levels unaffordable for them. There’s a playful side too; Nell and Christy directly speak out to the audience, even walk amongst the rows as they forage for food, and they travel by imaginary bicycles. Alin and Andrews are captivating and brilliantly manage to keep up the fast pace of almost non-stop dialogue. They have a natural delivery and believable chemistry as two long-term friends supporting each other.
The stage is the living room of the Camden flat Christy and Nell share. They do not have much; their battered sofa is the focal point, surrounded by heaps of script books. There is no other furniture or decorations; we have plain black walls, ceiling and floor. In the real world, this is a practical choice for the theatre to have a blank canvas for the range of shows they produce. But this also makes perfect sense for the characters in dire financial straits: they cannot afford any additional furniture, or maybe they’ve sold what they did have so they could afford the rent that month. The stage setting is ever present and used very creatively when they do venture outside. The back of the sofa effectively becomes a shop counter. Whilst for a trip to the woods, the audience happily pretends they can’t see the big sofa.
This is a busy slice of life, full of wry observations, pathos and humour in the hour we share with them. It educates and entertains, before ending with a dance and a smile.
Written by: Maria Telnikoff
Directed by: Lauren Tranter
Produced by: Bronagh Leneghan
With Nails and Without Nails has completed its current run.
