REVIEW: ATTENTION SPAN Camden Fringe at The Hen & Chickens Theatre 19 – 22 August 2024

‘bringing a world that is off kilter yet also familiar, it hits the funny bone’ ★★★★

 ‘Attention Span’ from writer Joseph Hollas and theatre company Brave Mirror returns for a second run, after premiering at White Bear Theatre. This latest run at The Hen and Chickens, (Camden Fringe), includes new material, which is good news, for the longevity of this wacky show.    The show highlights the wonders of the modern world in a series of sketches taking what we know, and making it strange, which makes it very very funny. We can see the absurdities of our own lives in the light of this madcap retelling. 

The writing by Joseph Hollas uses keen observations bringing a world that is off kilter whilst it is also very familiar. This is one of the joys of the piece, but it also means that if the show is to have a long life, and stay fresh, it’s essential to add new sketches from time to time. It seems likely that Hollas has hit on formula that really works for him, and he has plenty more of the same up his sleeve.

On this occasion, I particularly admired the ‘Gary’ sketch which is so relatable. Gary’s are a dying bread, there have been no Gary’s for 30 years. If you are called Gary, it has to be clear, that you are an old man.  Of course, delivery is everything and the cast of five certainly do deliver.  Their many entrances and exits are timed to perfection, thanks to direction by Jamie Saul, who keeps up a fast pace, with exactly the right pauses and intervals for all the comedy to land. 

The sketches are linked by the Narrator  (Finn Lanchester) who guides us through the show. The cast play a wide variety of characters including inanimate objects and a dog.   The subjects are quite random, from buying ice creams, (with some wonderfully distorted ice cream van jingles), to a sketch on Dale Winton.   It’s the everyday dramas that make up our lives, so very easy to laugh at the controlled mayhem.   The songs with music composed by Maia Harding enhances the humour and fits the comedy perfectly well.

The cardboard props are simply a genius idea, and I’m particularly fond of the cardboard computer, and the jug of water.  The waterline in the jug goes down a level when it is used. Presumably the cardboard is turned around, but with a slight of hand that goes unnoticed, so it’s a kind of magical moment. Also very admirable, there are three television sets (the old boxy types) which worked simultaneously in one particular sketch, worth the entrance money alone.

Finally, a mention to cast member Tallula White who played the Balloon Vendor, the Main Character from Amazon and the Gariest Gary, amongst other roles. Really outstanding work and especially impressed with her ability to be a man without needing to flag this up with costume or a deepening of her voice. Another piece of magic in the show. Lots more to commend but really the best advice possible, is to catch the show the next time it’s in town.

The Hen and Chickens theatre is an ideal venue for the show, with its history as a place to see comedy in all its forms, offering much originality. There’s also a terrifically lively theatrical vibe about the place, that just has to be experienced.

Brave Mirror Productions presents:

ATTENTION SPAN

Camden Fringe at The Hen & Chickens Theatre

19 – 22 August 2024

Box Office https://camdenfringe.com/events/attention-span/

‘Attention Span’ is written by Joseph Hollas, directed by Jamie Saul, produced by Thomas Duggan and Holly Bancroft and features original music by Maia Harding.

Cast

Finn Lanchester

Danielle de Vries

Joe Deighton

Tallula White

Daniel Golding

Photography credit: Holly Bancroft