Review: The Big Bite Size Show, Pleasance Theatre

The Big Bite-Size Show is theatre for the commitment-phobe. Why just see one play in an evening when in two hours you can see eight? A collection of brief, award-winning performances, it’s perfect for the Tik-Tok generation, those with short attention spans, or for older people brought up on the capsule delights of skit shows like French and Saunders or The Fast Show. Fun for all the family, then (12+).

That’s not to say the plays are solely comedies. They are for the most part clever scenarios – many funny, playing with a range of emotions – a glimpse into a wide variety of characters’ worlds. It’s a winning formula, with something to suit everyone.

It’s also a pleasantly intimate experience. The theatre is set out like a cafe, with gatherings of tables and chairs. You’re greeted at the door by the actors proffering a tasty treat and bid farewell by them at the end. The small cast uses minimal props. The staging is simple. You’re close to the action.

With such a short time frame, the deft cast quickly establishes characters, often throwing you straight into the scenario. And it’s a delightful hotchpotch of stories, from the tightrope walker who has a crisis of faith, to the international interpreter who finds himself out of his depth, to the sabotage attempt of blind daters’ inner voices.

The cast is generally strong, though with a few wobbly American accents. Special mentions go to Lisa Fairfield, who turns from a prostitute with a heart in one play to a shy and shambling woman on an awkward first date, and Stephen Povey as a histrionic interpreter.

The show ran for 18 years at the Edinburgh Fringe, before making its debut this week at the Pleasance Theatre in north London. It’s slightly anarchic temperament and cafe-style presentation suits the theatre, which is best-known for stand-up comedy, and it’s well received on the night.

The cast rotates during the run to add extra variety, and in London and Brighton, where the show transfers, there’s a changing menu of plays, so if you enjoy the format and the performances you can return the next night and see a whole different suite of mini dramas. I would strongly recommend this show for drama students who may have to be devising their own short performances. It’s inspiring to see what twists of drama can be created in such a short time frame.

Directors: Alexandra Worrall, Julian McDowell and Nicholas Brice
Created by: Nicholas Brice

The Big Bite-Seze Show plays at Pleasance Theatre until Saturday 15 March.