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Natasha Productions in association with Oval House Theatre presents
VANTASTIC & LOBSTER
Writer: Russell Barr
Director: Luke Kernaghan
Designer: Peter Todd
Oval House Theatre
17 November – 5 December 2009
A review by Jafar Iqbal for EXTRA! EXTRA! New writing has arrived at the Oval House Theatre this month as Natasha Productions introduced two hours of what was quite possibly the best time I’ve had at the theatre this year. You’re thinking I was a little unprofessional offering my opinion in the very first sentence of this review, and you’re probably right. And you’re probably also thinking that there really isn’t any need to read on now that you have an idea of what this show will be like and, again, you’re probably right. But if you’re still reading now, you don’t seem to care about logic and will now have the benefit of knowing why it was a fun night out. The night in question was a couple of plays written by actor-turned-writer Russell Barr. With the two plays very similar in their themes, it was perfectly fitting that they ran side by side. The first in question was Vantastic, telling the story of a family on a caravanning trip. Each of them is unhappy both with themselves and with life, lashing out at one another as a means of defence. What everyone refuses to acknowledge, however, is the person who isn’t there and the young boy who has appeared at the site. What ensues is an equally hilarious and dark study of family and the human psyche, climaxing in the traditional family meal. Lobster, similarly, is about the want of family and the hatred of life; here, though, Barr shifts from heightened reality to the downright surreal. Telling the story of a man and his grandmother, we are taken into their dark and sordid world. There is something sinister about their relationship, and it only gets worse when the boy from the first play returns and the action reaches a dramatic crescendo. The first thing that jumps out when watching both of these plays is the stunning performances from the cast. The characters are complex, flawed and, in layman’s terms, not quite there mentally. A character like that takes some effort to portray well, especially when taking into account that this character will be inducing both laughter and discomfort from the audience. Barr has to be credited for managing to write characters that do this perfectly, and director Luke Kernaghan and the actors need to be applauded for portraying them with such conviction. Special mention has to go to Richard Flood, Eileen Nicholas and Leo Richardson, who are present in both plays. Flood and Nicholas manage to depict two very different characters with an equal excellence and are definitely the highlights. However, Richard Syms and Clare Grogan are just as strong in their roles in Vantastic and Leo Richardson is brilliant as The Boy. Just like the performances, a lot of effort has been put into the staging. Vantastic had an excellent set comprising of two caravans sawn off at the top. Similarly, real lobsters were used in Lobster, their presence somehow adding to the drama. It is a dedication like this to the whole production that gives it so much credibility. No stone was left unturned to offer the audience as visceral an experience as possible. Russell Barr has written two very good plays – there is not really any other way to say it. While one is laugh-out-loud funny, the second is delightfully uncomfortable and sinister. Yet both seem to send out the same message, and do so with a tightly-written script and honest, committed performance. Watch these shows.
Tuesday – Thursday: 8pm Friday – Saturday: Choose 7pm or 8pm start £12 / £6 concessions Oval House Theatre, 52-54 Kennington Oval, London SE11 5SW Box Office: 020 7582 7680
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