An entertaining look at relationships, in the London premiere of acclaimed playwright Gary Owen’s latest work. Humour and talent abound.Rating
Good!
It is always exciting to see new young actors take the bull by the horns and set up their own companies. They are forced to, in fact, as in the old days, there were enough reps around to give a step up to learning their craft, but these days it’s rarer. Shed Theatre was formed originally in a literal shed in Cardiff by Evan L Barker and Iwan Bond, who also perform in Gary Owen’s new play Ring Ring at The White Bear. (Continuing the Welsh connections, the play was originally commissioned by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and here receives its first professional outing – exciting!)
Five young actors do not disappoint in this eighty-minute piece. It’s based on Schnitzler’s La Ronde, which imbues its characters’ interconnections with a strong sexual strand, leading to a moral sense of betrayal. Owen, however, shifts the connections’ focus more to emotional, therapeutic unburdening. These are young people at the start of their lives, dealing with the practicalities of surviving – or not – but also with where they stand in relation to their partners and to others. Connection, any sort of connection, means validation… doesn’t it?
Owen cleverly makes use of the epitome of desperate desire to connect – namely, “charity muggers”, those volunteers who accost you on the street. Leise Gwenillian’s “chugger” has a surprise encounter with a nervous man (Tiger Tingley), whom she informs that “You remind me of an ex-shag!” – I know it would get my attention!
Ten pairings in all provide a varied mix of situations across scenes. The writing dipped somewhat around two-thirds of the way through, with a couple of scenes where the dramatic drive wasn’t quite as taut as in the other encounters. However, I loved the comedy, like Iwan Bond’s hilarious blagger being found out by “Burma and Myanmar”. Owen’s writing is rooted in excellent dialogue, completely idiomatic; it feels almost improvised. Credit is due to the cast, too, who lift the words from the page and give them life within the (generally) two characters they each are asked to inhabit.
A word of warning to both director David Bond and to the actors, though: especially in a space like the White Bear, with its two distinct sides, turning your back on one of them means that fast, naturalistic line deliveries get completely lost to fifty percent of the audience. This is not TV, it’s theatre, and we, the punters, need to hear every word, even if that means losing some snappiness or realism.
The other two actors involved are Izzi McCormack-John and Alfie Todd. All five performers are committed and engaging; it’s a joy to see such talent on display. The lighting (Trekessa Austin) and design (Alberto Aquilina) worked well, especially the neat idea of each character leaving a mug, can of beer, or coat they’d used in their scene on a shelf or a hook. Catchy original music was provided by Leo Nathan.
This was a rewarding night out, and my compliments go to these young practitioners and the entertaining new piece by Gary Owen. I’d recommend this to anyone. Feel the energy and excitement of all things new. And remember that this is the beauty of going to spaces like The White Bear – you may be seeing the stars of the future!
Writer: Gary Owen
Director: David Bond
Producers: Shed Theatre
Designer: Alberto Aquilina
Lighting Design: Trekessa Austin
Sound Design: Lewi Scott-Morris
Original Music: Leo Nathan
Movement Direction: Isabella Garland
Ring Ring plays at The White Bear until Saturday 6 December
