Review: Talking People, Bush Theatre

When we reviewed Talking People in November, we gave it five stars, calling it “a masterclass in improvisation, acting and direction” – and the two performances this April are no different. Two wildly contrasting stories are created by two different teams of actors, with the only common threads being Richard Vincent’s direction and the central theme: sibling dynamics following the death of their father.

On the first night, there’s three siblings, a partner, and an uncle. On the second, three siblings and two partners. Vincent opens each show by asking the audience to decide who each actor will play within the family dynamic, then uses a deck of cards to determine who inherits the late father’s estate. He then goes on to question the actors, in character, about their relationships with their father, each other and their innermost thoughts. The audience is encouraged to join in, and they do not hold back. The questioning, modelled by Vincent, is insightful, complex and evidence of how invested the audience are in the process. 

The first performance features Keturah Chambers, Clea Martin and Tegan Short as sisters, Holli Dempsey as Beth’s (Short’s character) partner, and Stevie Raine as uncle Mike. When Chambers’ character is revealed as the heir to the multimillion-pound family home, the simmering sibling tensions come to light. Particularly striking is Martin’s portrayal of the complex middle sister – the one who cared for their father but inherits nothing. Her physicality and quick wit make her instantly believable. Dempsey’s deadpan humour brings levity to an otherwise heavy situation, cutting through the discomfort with perfectly timed delivery.

In the second performance, a fresh set of actors take the stage: Mohammed Mansaray, Ayoola Smart and Landry Adelard play the siblings, with Aliyah Odoffin and Jason York as their partners. Odoffin delivers two dramatic reveals in the first half that become the catalysts for tension in the second. Both nights explore sibling conflict in the aftermath of loss, but in distinctly different ways – once again demonstrating just how varied outcomes in improvisation can be, even with the same jumping-off point.

During the interval on both nights, the buzz in the audience is unmistakable. “Not what I expected at all,” “It’s like you’re part of the story,” “How do they do it?” You can feel the shared energy in the room, each person fully immersed in this deeply intimate form of storytelling. There are moments when the room erupts in laughter, and others when it feels like the air has been sucked out entirely.

Producer Elina Saleh framed the latter two nights of this three-night run as an experiment – what would happen if the same scenario was played out by different casts on consecutive evenings? Saleh promises that no two Talking People performances are ever the same, and by doubling down on the same theme two nights in a row, she’s proven that audience-guided improvisation is truly never identical.

All theatre is an experience – but this is something else. A night with Talking People is an event to remember, made entirely unique by the audience’s input and the extraordinary skill of the actors and director. Mark your diaries for 23 – 27 June when Talking People returns to the Bush Theatre next. It’s sure to be another sold-out run.

Produced by: Elina Saleh
Directed by: Richard Vincent

Talking People next plays at Bush Theatre 23 – 27 June.