I Love You: Secret Theatre Show 5

Basically, I am not really sure what I am going to do when the Secret Theatre series is over and I don't even know when that will be because it's all secret and that. I have developed a full blown fangirl obsession with the shows and the company. It's a proper crush... After I saw Show 5 last Thursday, I proceeded to:

1).Tweet the Lyric immediately and asked them for the soundtrack so I could play it on my iPod on my commute

2). Google, Google, Google for signs of Show 6? And for news of the tour...

3). Stalk all the actors and actresses I could find on Twitter and try and find out which ones were single/might want to make new friends/would potentially slip me a tongue when pissed/stalkable in local bars as I only work in Chiswick. ;) #lol Because I love them all.

4). Also stalk the writers..as a writer and a wannabe playwright.. I need some of what they're drinking.

5). Work out when I could possibly see it again...

6). Dance to Proud Mary until I fell over

You see everything changed for me after Show 5... After I had been to see Show 3 and Show 4 (read the reviews, they are pretty sensible compared to this one) I knew I was a Secret Theatre convert and that now I had to see every one. I was even annoyed about the fact I missed one and two... (Though just mildly irked, now I am enraged).

 

A Series of Increasingly Impossible Acts - what Show 5 is otherwise known as - has left me all teenage and trembly and happy and light. It's not as emotionally powerful as Show 3 or as clever as Show 4 but it taps in to humanity and fear and failure and friendship and love. 

Show 5 is set in the Lyric rehearsal room and every night there is a different protagonist... a typical Secret Theatre twist which I believe (here is a tiny bit of sensible critique stuff here) must keep it alive and kicking every night, full of the energy of the unknown... The audience pick it out, so they can't even cheat... not that they would need to as they're all so talented (I told you, massive fangirl)

My protagonist was the fabulous Katherine Pearce (Kat) who I knew was talented and able to transform herself, from the previous two productions. In this, she was I imagine a played up version of herself. Everyone else was supporting in more or less roles. Everything centered round Kat and her trials, tribulations and difficult times in life and love and friendship. 

Some of the sketches were more narrative: sex, first kiss/ first date, falling in and out of love and being destroyed by it, cheating. Others were more metaphoric or symbolic: an obstacle course that was undertaken several times throughout the play at first alone and then helped by the whole cast; an odd sort of shrink session; a wrestling game involving fears and stripping. A shiveringly warming version of Sincerely by The Moonglows sung by Hammed Annimashaun, a dance to Proud Mary which I really had to force myself not to join in with... Each little excerpt bringing tears, laughter and recognition from the audience.

90 minutes shot by and I wanted more and I wanted to see all of the cast members take the protagonist role, because I felt like they were giving us a slice of themselves and a themselves that everyone in the company knew too. The Secret Theatre group have created something together.. and all these individuals have joined to create and perform it and they've got to know each other.

When I was a child and teenager, I used to be in all the school plays... used to love the rehersals, the comraderie, the thrill and then after the final performance for at least a week after I would cry and cry and feel miserable that I could never get that feeling back or work and act with those people again - not in that exact same circumstance... It was like a small piece of magic and then gone. Then after a week I'd forget about it.

I hope these lot never do.

Secret Theatre Show 5, The Lyric, Hammersmith

Now until May 29th


Here is the Soundtrack for Show 5


Here are The Secret Theatre Crew:

Nadia Albina @NadiaAlbina -

Hammed Animashaun @HamzDaActor

Cara Horgan

Leo Bill @SerpicLeo

Matti Houghton

Adelle Leonce @AdelleLeonce

Katherine Pearce @KattiAnn

Billy Seymour @SeymourBilly

Sergo Vares

Steven Webb @MrStevieWebb

Love them all <3

Images are (c) The Secret Theatre Group

Valentine's in Glitterland, Secret Theatre Show 4

It was Valentine's Day, I'd already had several glasses of wine and I was with my friend whose boyfriend had kindly lent her to me for the night. We'd picked the day of lovers purposefully to forget the flowers and forced fashions and instead to see Secret Theatre: Show 4; the fourth and final in the series that had been taking place at the Lyric over the renovation period. Show 3 had been disarming but epic, therefore I was expecting a lot. 

As you go to the Secret Theatre Series knowing basically nothing, it is hard not to be confused when it starts; there's no theatrical blurb or programme just a cast list with "Based on John Webster's, The White Devil". Perhaps other viewers might know their Jacobean tragedies, but this meant little to us (Googled during the interview). The play had been modernised and sharpened by Hayley Squires in its modern manifestation, Glitterland.

"How the fuck are we supposed to rule them if they know the truth."

To be honest, the first half was not easy to grasp, though we though afterwards, perhaps this was purposeful. What became clear from the start though was that there was some sort of dystopian power-struggle going on with nuances of incest and sexual subterfuge. Set in a future-land, a future court or political ruling class, the themes, staging, language and feel of the play was somewhere between Pulp Fiction, Sin City and Brecht's Ui. Beauty, celebrity and power are valued above all, indeed half the ruling class are part of the "entertainment" sector.

Certainly there was a sinister air from the start as the leading female, Marilyn Monroe-esque, Victoria sang her old-Hollywood musical numbers and was lusted after by the married prince of the land. Still confused a little, we were thrust into Godfather-territory as all the men had a meeting about something or other; all with names such as Franco, Lupo, Ciano and Nemo and someone was banished. We also accepted that there was part of what was occurring that may have been imagined by one or more characters, but we weren't completely sure of which part it was. Perhaps the sexy red headed woman that only appeared in the presence of one character, Nemo - the play's Iago - and seemed otherworldly.

"What is wrong with not looking beautiful"

By the interval, I was soft-headed, partly due to wine, partly due trying to scrunching my brow in concentration... The acting was fabulous, that was obvious. Especially Katherine Pearce's, Victoria and Leo Bill's, Nemo and having seen these actors before in Show 3, this really showed off their versatility. I was also pleased to find my date as muddled as me about where it was going..

The second half was certainly more elucidated and drew things together so we could enjoy the power of the acting, though after the interview it felt a little predictable. More people are killed, public speeches are given, people sing, drugs are taken and the women fade into the background even more..

Still Leo Bill's performance "glitters" as Nemo; playing the character so well, that the audience shirk back as he draws near.

"We'll be running the Glitterland together, like we always dreamed"

What did I take from this piece...power, money and celebrity are bad, sure. A ruthless leader isn't great, but a quiet fixer and right-hand man to the leader is often more dangerous (I believe Shakespeare taught me that). It was an interesting depiction with insightful acting In a "performed piece ": reality was not courted by the staging or the characterisation of the lead roles, it was satirical and cartoonish and yet those studied characters were so well done that it was certainly not Brechtian, we were not ready to get up and judge. That alone is enough for me to recommend it to others. I liked Hayley Squires' script, I think that she could produce something that really pushed boundaries in the future. Leo Bill will be famous as a great actor one day, I am sure of it. Many of the rest of the cast were extremely good too, there was just some little thing that failed to make it glitter, or leave me winded as Show 3 had done.

After this me and my Val-date staggered to the pub and quickly moved onto more liquor and cigarettes and jocular discussion on the affairs of our friends and enemies, unfettered by the storms raging around us. With Show 3, we had been numb for an hour afterwards barely speaking except to discuss the play. And that, my friends.. silencing the cynical, fickle Londoner... is a sign of something truly wonderful...

Secret Theatre: Show 4

Showing at the Lyric, Hammersmith until the 22nd March

To Book:  lyric.co.uk

Images (c) Lyric, Hammersmith 

Sshh... It's a.. Secret Theatre, Show 3 at The Lyric

Doctor, Governor, Journalist, Spiritual Helper

The Lyric in Hammersmith is famous for its creative and original productions of both old and new works. The recent buzz surrounding its new Secret Theatre series had not escaped me, but it was only when Show 3 begun that my usual theatre-date friend and I actually made an effort to book tickets. I apologise in advance if this review is a little rambling or discombobulated, it was that kind of night.

"Wear comfy shoes" we were told before. What? I was nervous. Although I love experimental theatre, anything that hints of audience participation tends to freak me a little, especially when there is no real description as to what the play is about.

I tried to find some reviews, but they were all rightly vague. I managed to establish that the Lyric had building works going on and you had to walk up numerous steps to where the play was being performed. Aaah I see. Health and safety and all.

When we arrived at the Lyric to collect the tickets, well in time for some pre-performance wine, we were told... "Meet in the foyer... 730... Don't be late, don't be late... We’ll leave without you."

Alright calm down... We sat right next to the foyer in the bar slurping wine and furtively checking our phones and glancing over to the approved meeting area "don't be late, don't be late."

Jittery already, our Sauvignon Blanc was interrupted by a theatre official (Captain of Health and Safety or some such) making an announcement in the bar.

 

The Governor and Warden

"You have to climb some stairs to get to the performance area, so if you feel you can't manage this, let us know, we will take you a different route... don't be late."

Cue thoughts of the future when we couldn't manage stairs. Perish the thought. Eventually we were ready to go and indeed we climbed up a fair few stairs before we reached the performance area. Oh ok we managed the stairs, we weren't late and we were numbed a little by our drinks. Now we could relax as we shuffled on benches - front row - cue more nerves from me.

The premise of the play as I saw it is capital punishment, authority, good and evil and a little bit of cause and effect. You are aware of the capital punishment issue from the beginning. It is clearly spelled out to you by the Governor of the Prison, attendants, journalist and others who are all there to watch an execution. It is clearly spelled out to you by the set which shows a lonely bed with a raised head and clearly not a friendly bed.

The Doctor

The first half is mostly amusing. As the Prison Governor is debuting her new form of the death penalty, an experiment which may be taken country-wide; the victim/criminal, Richard Sanger (Leo Bill) is an abductor, a rapist, a horrible man by all accounts. The rapport between the prison attendants is comical and the character of the watching journalist - though slightly obvious - is recognisable and easily disapproved of by any liberal theatregoer. The man who is meant to die, does not, cue more humour and a wonderful portrayal of a student doctor confused by his loyalty to his profession, morals and his career. Titter, titter.

21st Century wall still up we can take this, the audience I mean, we can take this, they're killing a man or trying to, so what... Yes, yes there's the politics and power scuffles and morality queries by all the players and yet still as the audience we are thinking aaahhh lovely yes, this is going to teach us about how capital punishment is not the answer. This is going to give us food for thought and great dinner party discussion. Great.  We are all waiting for the moral to be told to us and then we can forget about it and go home to our warm beds. And then something happens...

The rapist, though he has not died, has seemingly forgotten everything and therefore may be classed as mentally unstable and cannot be killed- laws as they are. It changes the judgement ruled. With a time limit on the success of the experiment, as the governor is set to report into the Home Secretary the next morning, she and the wardens and the doctor desperately try to force the man to remember what he has done so they can try to kill him again. By this point we are feeling uncomfortable, but there is still humour. They try everything they can, sinking to the depths of bringing in the identical twin sister of the murdered girl (Katherine Pearce) who has been sat in the execution viewing room. The governor gets her there through obvious psychological manipulation and she promptly faints.

The Criminal

Then they bring in the criminal's special-needs brother (Billy Seymour), who has also been in the waiting room. For a while he goes into spasms of joy and they embrace. Following some reminiscing on their childhood and some soft strokes and hugs from Richard, he admits he turned Richard in- he found the half-dead girl in the cupboard and turned his own brother in. He says his mother knew all along. We feel sorry for this poor, strange and certainly below-average intelligent boy and we even feel a little sorry for the neutered criminal.

Then suddenly whilst in his brother's embrace, Richard the raper regains himself, or that which he has never lost, that which he has only been faking and kills his poor brother on the spot.

He then launches into a ferocious monologue terrifying his rapt audience.

"He was lying you know, he knew all along. He had a go on her himself. He just panicked when the stupid slut died."

Cue more moral questioning from the audience as we know he speaks the truth.

On and on and on he goes, evil to the core as he threatens to kill various members of the team.

Then suddenly we leave them. Aware that dawn is breaking and the experiment has not worked. How will this end?

The lights are down and we hear the sound of a wall moving as the entire right hand side of the stage area is pulled back to reveal the theatre - or where the audience usually sit. We are on the stage. Rows and rows of blank seats stare back at us as we look right, feeling observed, feeling part of the whole experiment.

Then up in the circle, we see two of the guards sitting watching us. They are talking as-if outside the prison where media and protestors are waiting and apparently ambulances and police.

"I filled the syringes with water. I sabotaged it. I couldn't let this happen, I couldn't let out society regress." He speaks over the empty stalls.

"And now they are all dead” says the other, "what was the point. Your own selfish heroic cause; that was not the way you should have done it!"

Really that is all I remember. And then we, the audience filed out, numb from it. Too many questions, too much to think-over and no signposts to tell us what we should think. That I believe is a sign of good theatre.

What made the play so successful is not only the topsy-turvy, disorientating staging, but the class of the actors - particularly the wonderful Leo Bill as Richard who had us all thrilled, Billy Seymour played the part of his mentally disabled brother sensitively with no clichés and Cara Hogan as the governor has an alarming presence on stage- wonderful acting.

The music and staging was also extremely successful, each item, each chorus necessary not over-cluttered, forcing us to focus on the action.

I'm not going to pretend it was a happy experience, it was not. I laughed, cried and was horror-struck and afraid in equal measure. It took two bottles of wine afterwards for my friend and I to feel near to normal. But it was a powerful performance that I'd certainly recommend.

Roll on Show 4... Coming soon

More on the cast and crew here...

The Lyric, Hammersmith

Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King St, London W6 0QL

Images are all (c) The Lyric on Flickr