Review: Reel Life, Etcetera Theatre

As we find ourselves experiencing another heatwave, perhaps the last place you want to be is in a black box theatre above a pub in Camden. They are rarely a place to find any relief from the heat. Of course there are hotter places to be, including on the stage of that black box theatre in Camden. Especially if your show requires a full on committed physical performance. But here we are, and for forty-five minutes I’m unsure what I admire more; the show itself or the sheer fact neither Ian Chapman Black nor Levenka Andrea passes out from the heat as they bound around the stage. At least Chapman Black gets to perform shirtless, which also helps demonstrate just how hot it gets as the sweat pours from him. 

Reel Life takes us back to the era of the silent movies. Algernon and Bruno’s double act is clearly doing well, except that when Algernon is offered his own show he does not hesitate to accept, no qualms about leaving poor Bruno in the process. But someone, or something, is interfering, ensuring that the duo don’t reconcile, doing everything possible instead to escalate their feud until it all turns marvellously violent. 

It’s a wonderfully clever show, told entirely through mime and the classic silent movie captioning of the era. Chapman Black and Andrea deliver two complete performances, all the more impressive given the heat that leaves the former, especially with that coating of sweat that demonstrates the level of energy required for the piece. There is plenty of slapstick and clowning and the pair’s synchronicity suggests hours of rehearsals have gone into this. The complete trust they must have in each other as heads come incredibly close together at times or Chapman Black throws Andrea around is a pleasure to witness. The bruises showing on Andrea’s legs suggest a few missteps happened in rehearsals. 

For a scriptless show it’s always clear what is happening as their relationship gradually deteriorates. And when it needs a little nudge there is that silent movie style captioning lurking in the background. When Algernon is sad at the way their friendship has been damaged, the lack of words to express that sadness makes no difference, their physicality and facial expressions speaki loudly for them. 

Their synchronicity is supported by a classic silent movie soundtrack. But while this serves a purpose and at times is put to great use in complementing the action, occasionally it sounds slightly wrong, out of place. Maybe its simply the PA system at Etcetera Theatre that booms out separately from the action, but at times I’d rather they really did play out some scenes in actual silence, using the soundtrack only when it is truly needed.

As the story develops and turns the camera onto the audience accusingly, it’s a clever twist that is totally unexpected and yet suddenly feels as if it was always obvious. It again demonstrates the cleverness of their performance in creating such a narrative without any actual words and leaves us with a slight guilt at how much we savoured the violence. It adds a new layer to an already fantastic show.

Reel Life continues a fantastic run of shows I’ve been lucky to see this year where the physical movement of the piece leaves me open mouthed in utter wonder of it all. It’s a credit to Chapman Black and Andrea that they can pull off such a performance at any time, let alone when the temperature is such that all we really should be doing is staying as still as possible to wait for the inevitable cold snap.

Created by Ian Chapman Black and Levenka Andrea
Directed by Tracy Collier
Stage management by Zuzu Cavallaro
Stunt choreography by Cristiano Benfenati
Produced by Far Between Theatre

Reel Life plays at Etcetera Theatre until Wednesday 24 June.