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Camden Fringe
Ben Donaghy brings a multi-faceted and emotionally touching performance, centring around a bed and a microphone.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Ben Donaghy has crafted a piece of theatre that incorporates many disciplines. There are acted parts, using the bed as a focus, whether it be at home, abroad, on a sleeper train or in a gallery. Interjected are moments of stand-up comedy, acting as breaks to the scenes, moments of release and even confessionals; used as a way of breaking the fourth wall to draw the audience in closer. There’s even some lip-syncing to a great and unexpected soundtrack in both French and Spanish, and a dance sequence to Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’, which is beautifully lyrical but just a tad long, especially in relation to the overall show.
Initially Bed seems to be a comic performance, with plenty of laughs to be had at, and with, the character Ben portrays. Then Donaghy introduces moments of pathos and drama. Doors are opened to rooms where the character struggles with loneliness, a breakdown in their mental health, and a flash back to being caught dancing around in his mother’s dress as a child – with the voice of his dad (provided by Stanley Cook) berating him and reinforcing masculine expectations.
There is an assumption that Ben is playing a character, based on the notes in the colourful programme, the fact that his dad is in charge of light and sound and his mum greets us at the door with the programme. If Ben is playing a version of himself then the homophobia / gender bias from his father when he was a child is no longer an issue. It is here that, for me, lies the main issue with this show.
Ben creates a very likeable, accessible and adorable persona but the character is left in limbo. We see snippets of his life, moments of vulnerability, hints of key events that would impact the person who we meet at the microphone. However, his life so far, as portrayed on stage, is incomplete. The premise of this show warrants further exploration and possibly an expansion to a full-length production.
Donaghy demonstrates a plethora of talent and even in its current form is well written and directed. However, there are other journeys that his travel-writing character has been on that I want to see. I want to learn how he addresses his demons and overcomes them, becoming the confident gay man that thanks us for watching at the end.
Written and directed by: Ben Donaghy
Choreography by: Liv Bell and Ben Donaghy
Light & Sound by: Paul Donaghy
Produced by: Ben Donaghy, Donna Donaghy, Paul Donaghy and Julia Dixon for Brandonville Productions
Additional voices provided by: Stanley Cook
BED – A One Man Show played at the Hen & Chickens Theatre between 3rd and 5th August. Further information about the show can be found at @bendonaghyyy on Instagram and Youtube.
