REVIEW: REBOOT FESTIVAL at Barons Court Theatre, Week 1: 3 – 7 September 2024

'some real highlights as well as plays crying out for further development'

Barons Court REBOOT FESTIVAL is three weeks of new writing with 18 plays selected from around the world, featuring experienced and emerging artists. Each week showcases a different lineup of short plays.   Overall, it’s a fun experience, and there is much to discuss in this thought-provoking range of short plays. Pleasingly, there are some real highlights, as well as plays crying out for further development.  It offers much originality from a raft of imaginative people, however, what makes this writing festival particularly distinctive is that it is embracing an international flavour. Expect cast and creatives to be from the multi-verse.

Week 1 in order of presentation:

LA 8 AM by Mark Harvey Levine, directed by Emma Wilkinson

Cast: Emily Brown, Adam Gower, Vincent Marquis, Colette O'Brien

Funny and clever, this piece highlights the fragility of life. It is also quirky with AI characters introducing two humans: a man who likes numbers and his female partner who doesn’t like numbers and is rather messy.  The conclusion is that their lives will count down to zero and that they will die.   There is a poignancy to this piece aided by a script which manages to juggle four individual voices really well.

Writer, Mark Harvey Levine already has over 2100 productions of his short plays everywhere from Bangalore to Bucharest, from Seoul to Sao Paulo and he has won over 45 awards.  His short play is well served by the cast and the director.

Michelle and Little Fish by Sarah Baxter, directed by Namoo Chae Lee

Cast: Martha Crow

Sarah Baxter is an award-winning writer of short fiction, and this is her debut play. First performed as part of INK Festival in 2022, she was awarded ‘Most Promising Playwright’ by the festival.  The show is about a woman who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. However, the focus is more on the woman’s personal life and her lack of confidence.  Believing herself to be unworthy she marries a man who turns out to be aggressively controlling and after discovering that she is pregnant, she is further trapped in the marriage. 

The piece certainly has potential but happens all too fast and needs much more time to unfold.  As Baxter is herself a person living with a disability it does feel quite personal, and perhaps this aspect could be developed more so that audience can empathise the character’s daily struggles. It is also a pity that with only one character, it only offers one perspective.  The story is fast tracked and without enough depth, it is flimsy and isn’t totally credible.

Minor Deviations by Erin Osgood, directed by Ivantiy Novak

Cast: Iulia Pal, Alex Smith, Will Tusker

A comedy with a satisfying twist, albeit lacking in credibility. Set in the future the play addresses moral questions about replacing loved ones who have passed, with humanoid robots or replicants. It questions whether humans would be happier with a machine that they can control rather than a human companion. 

Lulia Pal gave a distinctive and amusing portrayal of the humanoids whilst director Ivantiy Novak used the space to its fullest potential. Writer Erin Osgood’s  Minor Deviations shows that she has an enquiring mind. This piece of theatre has layers which could be expanded and explored much further. 

Hamster Railroad by James Robertson, directed by Kay Brattan

Cast: Moya Matthews, Tyler Woods

This was my personal favourite show of the night.  A satire about hamsters being hunted and destroyed. The play’s heroine is saving them in a shoebox (there are no longer any cages available). She meets a man whom she believes is part of the railroad, part of an underground resistance, but is he?

This production was aided by an atmospheric sound and lighting design, which added to a sense of suspense and horror. It was the most complete play of the night. It also played to the strengths of the Baron’s Court theatre space, in the cellar of Curtains Up pub. It is an especial joy to see this space adding its own stamp to a production. 

Writer James Robertson is a writer, dramaturg, and director originally from Melbourne. They know how a play works and how to play an audience, their experience shows in this satisfying production well served by the cast and director.

Bog Body by Eliza Hallinan, directed by Luke O'Field

Cast: Sara Hird, Clara Rozzi, Lauren Stones, Alex Smith

Two archaeologists are looking for a body in the bog, one for scientific purposes to find out more about the past and the other for scientific glory. A young female student is with them, also keen to find a body, but with more heart. In a surprising turn, a bog body is not only found but comes back to life. So, what does the body want? Coming back to life after hundreds of years, this young woman wants to be held, to know people, to be loved. 

In the programme it mentions that writer Eliza Joy Hallinan is an empathy-led dramaturg, writer, and producer who champions queer joy. Not surprisingly then, there is a charming ending with the young student giving the body exactly what she wants, in an intimate embrace. 

Unfortunately, the archaeologist characters are underdeveloped, and this shows in the cartoonish portrayal by the actors who aren’t given enough in the writing to give more depth. However, Clara Rozzi, as the young student is delightful in her role and gives it lots of heart which emanates from within.

The Elephant In The Room by Bethany Dickens Assaf, directed Paris Hoxton

Cast: Maya Biskupska, Ericka Posadas

Another excellent short and I love the play’s title with its dual meanings. A young mother is struggling with fatigue and irritability. Her best friend arrives offering help, thinking that a night off clubbing would do the trick.  she is dismayed to find the young mum wearing mumsy clothing and looking for a soft toy elephant which the baby has lost. There is a gentle comedy to the piece, as the friend has a disgust of all things motherhood (the other elephant in the room), including the breast pump and the mess. This piece is deceptively simple, as it manages to give depth to the characters and a healthy sense of conflict, so that it’s easy for audiences to root for them. The ending is truly poignant and heart-warming. Everyone needs a friend like this.

It is lovely writing from experienced playwright Bethany Dickens Assaf.  Ericka Posadas as the friend, was a little hard to hear at first (muffled just like some BBC dramas) but I quickly tuned in, or perhaps they became clearer.  The relationship between the pair was totally believable, with a rapport clearly apparent. Maya Biskupska as the mother was a really neat contrast to the other character and she nailed the part of a tired mum in need of some respite with a deadpan delivery.

Reboot Festival at Barons Court Theatre

5 - 23 September 2023

Box Office https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/reboot-festival-3