REVIEW: LOST AND FOUND Camden Fringe at Etcetera Theatre 23 – 25 August 2024

Take A Seat productions present two 30-minute plays featuring recent graduates from LAMDA, making their professional debut at the Camden Fringe.  The first piece, SOULTIDE, co-written by Elijah Lifton and Lisa Gillham, is a comedy-drama following an aspiring band on a luxury yacht as their relationships break up. 

It’s a play with much promise, showing an ability to write story with a bite. The themes include jealousy, socio economic disparities and disloyalty. It explores how the ambitions of  individuals can cause ructions, along with the perennial concerns about the monied classes using their wealth and contacts to get on in life versus sheer hard work and talent. Whilst those with money can also be working their socks off to make the most of their talent, in this show at least, rich bitch Tara (Evie Day) gets her comeuppance.

It's a play which really needs development as the rising waters of the boat and what follows after, happens rather abruptly and isn’t credible. Even with the comedy element, it still needs to ring true, therefore the play would be better served by another half an hour to explore these events.

The acting is rather uneven, with a tendency to put on a voice to show character, or to play it for laughs.   This cast is more than capable of giving more depth, particularly if they play it straight and work on developing the interior lives of the characters.

The second offering, VOICE, follows a group of drama school students discovering themselves whilst interrogating the world in which they live in. Whilst the play is a bit cheesy and doesn’t tell us anything new, the inside workings of a drama school are laid bare and offer insight for anyone who wants to know what it is like.  It was pleasing to see some exceptional ensemble work in this piece. The group worked well together with the lines spoken in unison perfectly performed. Milly Thorpe as Jax was a standout on the night, with a particularly affecting monologue and a blast of soulful singing (reminiscent of Janis Joplin’s rawness). She must look after that voice, it’s likely to be important in her career.

In all, Camden Fringe has offered the perfect opportunity for these graduates to make their debut and begin to find out where they fit in the industry.

SOULTIDE

Actors: Alexander Maker, Lucy Gant, Nina Amos, Evie Day, Elijah Lifton

Creatives

Director: Anna Hampton

Co-Writer/Producer: Elijah Lifton

Co-Writer: Lisa Gillham

VOICE

Actors: Nina Amos, Milly Thorpe, Evie Day, Niamh Spillane, Lauren Maguire, Lucy Gant,  Ro Florence

Creatives:

Writer/ Director: Ethan Simm

co-writer: Stella Robinson

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