Post by Dr Tom on Mar 2, 2019 21:19:50 GMT
This is coming to the end of its tour. I caught the performance at the Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton (a nice small theatre with comfortable tiered seating).
It’s a one man performance by Theo Ancient, who I’ve seen before in lead roles Harry Potter and in The Box If Delights. The Arena Theatre has also been promoting this as their lead play for the season.
The play tells the tale of Callum, a shy 17 year old discussing the trials of his life, all supported by his take on the people around him. Callum plays all the roles with skill, with the spell only broken by the loud bursting of balloons.
As an introvert, with various taught mechanisms to help me make the most of being “quiet”, a huge amount of the play resonated with me. I hope some of the rest of the audience left with more of an understanding that not everyone likes to be as loud as them (and that the laughter I heard was nervous laughter, not laughing at the introverts being portrayed).
If Theo is an introvert, like so many actors, he must be exhausted after the 75 minute performance (plus he’s on stage when the audience arrives). It is a demanding role and a wordy script.
The staging is clean and simple, supported by an impressive mix of lighting and sound. It works perfectly for this and showcases Theo’s expressive range.
The tour is coming to an end, but I could easily see this sitting down in London for a few weeks in a small venue.
It’s a one man performance by Theo Ancient, who I’ve seen before in lead roles Harry Potter and in The Box If Delights. The Arena Theatre has also been promoting this as their lead play for the season.
The play tells the tale of Callum, a shy 17 year old discussing the trials of his life, all supported by his take on the people around him. Callum plays all the roles with skill, with the spell only broken by the loud bursting of balloons.
As an introvert, with various taught mechanisms to help me make the most of being “quiet”, a huge amount of the play resonated with me. I hope some of the rest of the audience left with more of an understanding that not everyone likes to be as loud as them (and that the laughter I heard was nervous laughter, not laughing at the introverts being portrayed).
If Theo is an introvert, like so many actors, he must be exhausted after the 75 minute performance (plus he’s on stage when the audience arrives). It is a demanding role and a wordy script.
The staging is clean and simple, supported by an impressive mix of lighting and sound. It works perfectly for this and showcases Theo’s expressive range.
The tour is coming to an end, but I could easily see this sitting down in London for a few weeks in a small venue.
