A play with truly magnificent production, let down by a fun script that merely teases, with the promise of so much more.Rating
Good!
You can watch a show that you thoroughly enjoy, where you find plenty to praise for various elements, and yet… well, something just feels amiss. That’s exactly how I felt come the end of Little Lion Theatre Company’s Witch Girl Summer. Whilst I really, and I mean REALLY enjoyed it, I was left thinking it could have offered so much more.
The story has some classic fair tale elements to it, all brought into a modern social media world where young females are constantly bombarded with the pressure to look perfect. But looking perfect on the outside can leave an ugliness on the inside. Girl (Giullianna Martinez) is one half of a highly successful podcast called Girltalk. You can easily imagine what it’s about; it isn’t hard to find a hundred generic podcasts with the briefest of searches. Girl has found herself working solo, and her former partner is clearly much more successful, leaving Girl jealous, filled with bitterness and anger. In an effort to feel and look better, she turns to self-help guru Witch (Elinor Coleman). But as with any good fairy tale there’s a price to pay. As Witch tells her, “Real beauty has to cost.”
Let’s begin with what works. The videography design is a delight. Staging stories about social media is filled with pitfalls, with too many failing to visualise their ideas. But not here: the flashing images across the rear wall tease messages, not displayed long enough to read more than the fleeting word as images bleed into each other, but it’s enough to suggest what they are about. Then there’s the movement. At times, this could be a dance recital as the two actors gracefully work in unison to bring the idea of bodies possessed to life. More than ably supporting all this are the sound and light. Both are masterclasses in how to enhance what we are seeing on stage, scenes magnified tenfold with the introduction of just the right noise or flickering light.
But perhaps the greatest strength this show has is Coleman’s performance. Everything about it is just incredible. Scenes acting out social media comments are spellbinding as she switches instantly from one bitchy comment to the next, her accent and mannerisms different every time. Her performance as Witch is equally spellbinding. Her physical performance at times turns her into an old hag with twisted limbs as the lights dim and the sound effects take hold. It’s probably slightly unfair to single her out so much: her performing partner Martinez, does everything required of her as Girl, but it’s a role that doesn’t give her the same range to play with.
Yet with so much to praise, it’s the most vital element of all, the script, that feels the weakest link. It’s not that the script is poor – it’s absolutely not, containing enough to bring a glorious blend of laughter and horror. The problem is that it feels like it should do more. There are times when it seems like pages have been discarded, and that part of the story is missing. Occasionally, the audience is perhaps being asked to work a little too hard to flesh out the plot. On more than one occasion, I was left having to guess how we got from here to there. Witch Girl Summer IS absolutely a whole lot of fun, with much to love. So yes, maybe I’m being picky when I say I wanted more. It’s a show that has all the right ingredients to cast its spell; it just needs to work out how to bring the potion to full effect.
Written by Margarita Valderrama
Directed by Kay Brattan
Lighting Design by Ciara Moss
Set Design by Valentina Turtur
Stage Manager: Harri Compton
Associate Producer: Amanda Hart
Composer: Deanna H Choi
Dramaturgy by Claren Grosz
Produced by Little Lion Theatre Company
You can read an interview with Margarita Valderrama and Kay Brattan here.
Witch Girl Summer plays at Lion and Unicorn Theatre until Saturday 14 March
