Review: From Beyond the End, Lion and Unicorn Theatre

Yippee! New writing is an exciting prospect, but uniquely what Lamp Light Company offers in From Beyond the End at the Lion & Unicorn is five writers acting in their own but mostly in their colleagues’ work, so there’s a wonderful feeling of solidarity and mutual support about the whole evening.

The writers, performers and directors are Emma McAllister, Philipp Nikolin, Frank Cawley, Eloise Thody and George Bird. Let the adventure begin!!

Journey Home written and performedby McAllister (slightly over-neurotic acting at the start) is short and sweet but with bags of promise. A compulsive blogger has to deal with the last requests of her late mother. Apart from to “Get off that bloody phone!” she has to take her ashes to Shannon pier in Ireland. She reconnects with her roots and an epiphany means that into the sea, along with her mum’s ashes, goes her phone – hurrah! McAllister creates vivid characters and dialogue and that made me want to see her develop this piece into a full blown play.

Nikolin’s Curse in Green and Pleasant Land takes us back to 1665 Salisbury where a Catholic priest William (Cawley) accuses Elizabeth Hadley (Thody) of witchcraft. By means of occasional flashbacks we discover they had become close and William has failed to save a mutual friend Susan from death as a witch. Hadley refuses to confess and William agonises between his “duty” and feelings. Thody is wonderfully feisty while Cawley needs to give more agony to his dilemma and I found the timelines confusing here: it loses dramatic focus.

The next playlet, split by the interval into two parts, is Roman Roads by Cawley and is excellent. Bird plays Mags, an archaeology student, who has just returned from a trip in Europe and asks to meet her mother (McAllister). But there’s something’s missing: “Please tell me who my dad was!” Mother can’t reveal the truth. Six months later (Part Two) has led to no communication between the two. Mother manages to find out her daughter is working in a pub managed by Spenser (Nikolin on hilarious form). There’s a great touch of quirky Pinter here – Spenser could have a whole play to himself, in my book! Mother reveals the truth which leads to a reconciliation and Spenser told where to jump off (LOL). Despite some pushed frenetic acting at the start, this settles down into a very promising piece of writing. Bravo Mr Cawley!

Tigerlily by Thody is an exploration of a singular and deliberately single woman, Max (Thody), who, enraged by the experience of her friend getting pregnant from a party rape, embarks on a crusade against predatory sexist men (Nikolin on great form again) and, shall we say, takes matters in her own hands – ehem! This is black comedy but with a message. Thody once again manages the dynamics very well, though this piece needs further work to really tighten up the dramatic journey.

To round off the evening we have Bird’s offering, Maybe. Thody takes control here, hysterically haunted by the unexplained drowning of her village’s May Queen many moons ago and then in a wacky, surreal sequence, daemon dustwomen, unicorns, dragons and even Father Christmas appear to finally tip her over the edge. This is hysterical fun and a little bonbon with great imagination and potential. More please.

This evening showed immense promise with oodles of talent on offer. Some more work needs to be done in perfecting both writing and acting but from small acorns great oaks do grow and Lamp Light has shone a light on some great acorns!

Produced by: Lamp Light Theatre Company

From Beyond the End has completed its run at Lion and Unicorn Theatre. It will also be playing at
Salisbury Studio Theatre on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 July.