Review | Heads and Tales deliver 'an absorbing evening' at The Barn Studio, Portsmouth
Watching – let alone reviewing – five short plays in a single performance can be challenging.
Thankfully, with Heads and Tales – the debut production from Off-Shoot Theatre – both are a pleasure.
In May, Off-Shoot invited new work from local writers, under the premise of ‘five short plays, 10 characters, and two sides to every story.’ The result is an absorbing show with strong writing and flawless acting.
In Don’t Tell by Christine Lawrence, a couple are fussing over holiday preparations when a solicitor’s letter arrives unexpectedly. David Penrose and Corinne Strickett neatly capture the familiar rhythms of domestic life and, as shocking news unfolds, the tension this brings to their lives and relationship. We’re left eager to know what happens next.
Soupe du Jour by Clare Campbell is excellent and extremely funny. She also plays quirky female lead Diane, who shines alongside a superb Vin Adams as her bemused, emotionally stunted husband. In the ridiculous dance of a frustrated marriage, what’s left unsaid can often be as significant as what is said.
Jackie Green’s When Footie Is Back is a thoroughly engaging commentary on Covid lockdowns. Sue Bartlett is perfectly cast as Nan, delivering a tender performance while Finn O’Toole brings joyful energy as football-mad grandson. It’s a warm and perceptive reflection on isolation and the importance of community.
Set in New York, Elevator Pitch by Graham Brown features a powerful and nuanced performance from Holly McLachlan as an English artist, who clashes bitterly with her brash American partner played by Alec Sleigh. Full of misunderstanding, their relationship is also a topical reminder of the differences between UK and US culture.
Kia Wilson’s Replay is a standout. Lee Ruttle and Sarah Mayell-Thomas are natural and captivating as two buskers who meet awkwardly again after 20 years, discovering they have everything and nothing to talk about. Beautifully written and quietly devastating, it pitches human dreams against the reality of life’s responsibilities – and will likely elicit a tear.
Direction by Steve Blackham and Jan Rawson is smooth and well-paced, while lighting and staging are simple and effective. Altogether, it’s an absorbing evening, immersed in local talent and with a distinctly British flavour.
I left assured that Pompey theatre is alive and buzzing.