A festive and entirely too fast confrontation, filled with laughter, harsh truths, and food.Rating
Excellent
Ash Felkner’s Small Extinctions is a funny and emotional story about relationships ending and love enduring. It follows the owner of a restaurant and her ex, who happens to be the head chef, as they talk through their relationship while trapped inside the restaurant’s walk-in freezer on Christmas day. It is an absurd scenario that leads to a realistic depiction of two people who love each other despite their shared past.
The show is a comedy in the same way FX’s The Bear is a comedy: it is a conversation on serious topics such as miscarriages, cheating, and the breakdown of a relationship, all happening in a kitchen. The first scene introduces a lot of the tension that is then present throughout the show. It is an effective way to get the story going. From here on, Kate (Felkner) and Geoff (Dominic Farrow) go back and forth in a witty and relatable way, exploring the breakdown of their relationship and the future ahead. They never lose any of the tension established in the beginning until everything is satisfyingly resolved at the end. This show does have moments of genuine comedy – ones that manage to land very well. They are mixed between the more dramatic moments, balancing each other out and succeeding in conveying a realistic conversation and relationship.
There is an issue with the pacing of the show as it currently stands. This amazing back and forth between the characters and between the comedy and drama starts way too early. After the door to the walk-in freezer closes, there is very little time for the characters and for the audience to get used to their surroundings, to feel the weight of their current predicament, before the conversation starts. The beginning establishes so much animosity between Kate and Geoff that I struggled to believe that they would start talking about their relationship so quickly. While it is implied that time has passed between the door closing and the conversation starting, it is hard to feel it when on stage it happens so fast.
The stage of the Lion & Unicorn theatre is small and intimate, which makes it a great fit for this show. There are shelves with food and trays surrounding the characters, and the lighting remains consistent except for a few blinking instances, perfectly recreating the atmosphere of a fridge. The background noise is cut the moment the freezer’s door closes, adding to the atmosphere and allowing for some wonderful moments of pure silence. The highlight of the staging is the real food that fills the shelves, including the eggs and cake that play an important role later. The brightness and interactivity of the food seals the deal in the visual aspect.
Kate and Geoff are brought to life in an impeccable manner. Felkner and Farrow’s chemistry is tangible from the moment they appear on stage: it is noticeable in moments of both empathy and dislike that they care for each other deeply. Both of them implement tiny mannerisms – quick and longing looks, small movements of head and hands – that can be appreciated by the audience and add to the relationship being explored on stage.
Small Extinctions is a relatable and enjoyable show, but it passes so quickly. On this occasion it was only 40 minutes long, rather than the advertised hour, which left me wanting more of it.
Written by Ash Felkner
Directed by Nance Turner
Produced by Ash Felkner in association with Northern Spirit Theatre Company
Small Extinctions has completed its run at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre
