REVIEW by Mary Couzens
Cardboard CitizensA Co-commission with the Royal Shakespeare Company Visible
Image courtesy of Soho Theatre by Sarah Woods Directed by Adrian Jackson Soho Theatre
Jet-set…Hattie is frantic. She's got five people coming for Sunday lunch, and she's forgotten to put the beef in the oven. Possibly because she's got too many things simmering on the back burners… All is not what it seems in sweet suburbia. Hattie and Rob are married, but not, it would seem, for the happily ever after. Hattie is not exactly thrilled about the affair she's having with her next-door neighbour either, or the fact that she is not in the mood to entertain, but her luncheon guests will be arriving shortly. Rob is focused on more important issues like the relative obscurity and merits of Camp Coffee, one of the secret ingredients of his sticky toffee pudding, as well as his annoyance with and allergy to Rasputin, the black cat belonging to their other neighbour, Catherine, who isn't invited to lunch, but is bound to invite herself. This surreal farce initially steers its audience from cupboard to cupboard in a full-blown stage version of a dumbed-down situation comedy, the plot of which should be familiar to most regular television viewers, featuring middle-class people, speaking in cliché middle English. On the surface, everything appears to be in its place, including the long-term couples' Sunday morning bickering. However, this representation of a rather artificial, yet all too common lifestyle dissolves by the second scene of Act one into a shambles of a reality/game show with a tacky announcer throwing his weight around the set as if he was Atlas when he is, in reality, just the sort of light-weight entertainer (think very annoying Steve Martin clone) who winds up insect eating his way out of the jungle these days. One of the more ironic realities Brown touches on in his capacity of obnoxious host occurs when he introduces his two game show guests, as being from ‘the heady world of commercial theatre and bit part television.' The lightly farcical components of Visible have just assumed a cleverly constructed complacency when, seemingly all of a sudden, all known parameters are removed from the boards and the rules of the game have changed. Nothing Stuart, as TV host touches on in the realm of what we, as viewers/voyeurs regularly touch on via our televisions is sacred, or safe. In one cleverly orchestrated video taped segment, an old woman appears to question the audience about whether or not she should pass on a mysterious parcel via Amsterdam, or retain her life of ‘law abiding poverty,' as the host puts it. She gives the thumbs up as she is advised by the audience to take the more dangerous root in order to avoid the pitfalls of continuing as her status quo in a country (UK) whose pensioners are amongst the poorest paid in Europe, to quote those who are currently dealing with life on the aged edge on the ‘Calling All Pensioners' program on London's independent radio station, Resonance. Nothing is treated with kid gloves in Visible , from the banality of thirty-something double income couples, to the crass humour, disrespect, and/or disregard casually aimed towards refugees, the homeless, and anyone else less fortunate than their neighbours. The script of Visible just doesn't jive with a Sainsbury presentation of the model British family seated in front of a well-done Sunday roast. I'm sure you're beginning to get the picture by now… Without giving anything away, I'd have to say that Visible is one unpredictable, intelligent, and, at times, uncomfortable, in your face piece of theatre. But, judging by Cardboard Citizens reputation for rising to the occasion and bringing issues to the surface in the course of their workshops, that isn't surprising. But, having also been part of the audience for their adventuresome production (also with the RSC) of Shakespeare's Pericles in an disused jam factory off the Old Kent Road a few years back, I'd have to say that their work is not for those who merely wish to sit back, and be entertained. On the contrary, Cardboard Citizen's production of Visible is heady, participatory theatre if only in the sense that you're bound to feel strongly, either for, or against, the way in which the play is presented, as well as its socially conscious subject matter. Either way, after you've seen it, once you've had a chance to stop and think about the issues addressed, chances are you may also be able to see, and access the opposite viewpoint as well. Perhaps that is what playwright Sarah Woods, Cardboard Citizens and the RSC are hoping the audiences will do - consider all the angles beneath what is Visible , instead of judging this production, or anything else for that matter, on surface value alone. Visible is Cardboard Citizens' first venture onto the regular theatre touring circuit. But, if it's any indication of what is to come, it won't be their last. This ‘context specific' play by Sarah Woods was commissioned especially for this auspicious occasion. It's definitely an event to add to your calendar, and make time for. Cardboard Citizens A co-commission with the RSC Visibleby Sarah Woods Tues. 25 April – Sat. 6 May 7:30 pm Matinees: Saturdays (29 April & 6 May) 3 pm £15 (Concs £12.50) Matinees £7.50
Soho Theatre 21 Dean Street London W1D 3NE 0870 429 6883
Cast (in order of appearance) Karen Paullada – Hattie Rory MacGregor – Rob / Neil Patrick Onione – Alex Gus Brown – Stuart Antonia Coker – Catherine
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