Review: What Fresh Hell is It?, The Libra

Libra Theatre Café celebrates its first anniversary on 28 April. It’s co-owners Simina Ellis and Jessica Cole, are friends and actors, determined to provide a space for performance to thrive. Their business success is responsible for establishing this inclusive creative space in Camden, an artistic home for theatre performance, humour, Simina’s baking, and excellent cocktails.

Written and directed by Glenn T Griffin, What Fresh Hell is It? is a one woman, two act show with a myriad of emotions and experiences. Whilst Dorothy Parker is well known for her acerbic wit and poise, Griffin brings empathy and compassion to his characterisation of this complex woman. This UK premiere provides insights into the multi-faceted emotions and experiences of Parker. As she was known to say ‘The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue’. Griffin has clearly embraced this perspective in this compelling dramatisation illustrating elements of Parker’s life. Given Parker’s numerous accolades as a writer, activist and lyricist, she needs more accolades than I can provide in this review space.

Carol Parradine holds court in The Libra’s intimate underground venue. As Parker, Parradine portrays life moments and challenges of this intelligent, vulnerable and melancholic woman. Griffin’s production cleverly orchestrates music, voice recordings, lighting and costume change to provide us with interludes as Parradine transports us between some of the ages and events that shaped Parker’s loneliness and alcoholism. She captures her audience with the combination of wit and tenderness, such that the dramatic rumbling of nearby tube trains enhances our journey through time and emotions.

Griffin’s compassion for Parker’s painful experiences in love and friendship are beautifully articulated; he’s an ideal match to embrace Parker’s intellect and searing honesty and humour. In preparing this piece with Parradine, their shared compassion and understanding for Parker is evident in their searing rendition of this capable woman who travelled from innocence of love and longing into the aching misery of alcoholism and isolated grief.

The complex juxtaposition of a woman who chose to have an abortion, portrayed indifference socially, whilst suffering both physical and emotional trauma of loss is movingly depicted and revisited at moments through the play.

Whilst the show is two hours in duration (with a 15-minute interval), the time flies thanks to the story telling, depiction and wit of Griffin’s production. From idealistic ingenue, to enrobed, isolated alcoholic, Parradine transitions largely fluidly in both costume and emotion to share depths of longing, love and suffering. There are moments in the first act, where pronunciation falls to the shortened vowels of British English before returning to the languid American phrasing, but Parradine gathers fluency and momentum throughout the performance.

This play is a testament to the research and understanding of Parker by Griffin and the empathy for his subject. We are invited to laugh, to sympathise and, ultimately, to experience the pain and loss of Parker’s relationships, friendships and childlessness.

It is hoped that Griffin will engage further with Parker’s compelling history to produce more facets of Parker and perhaps depict her moral fibre, committed activism and legacy. Parker was a woman ahead of her time; her wit and social commentary holding true even now.

Ultimately as Parker would say ‘There’s a hell of a distance between wise-cracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wise-cracking is simply callisthenics with words.” The witty What Fresh Hell is It? is a perfect opportunity to become another aficionado of both Griffin’s and Parker’s wit at this artistic venue.

Written, directed and produced by Glenn T Griffin

What Fresh Hell Is It? plays at The Libra until Sunday 20 April.