REVIEW: Signposts into Blackpool at The Lion and Unicorn / Camden Fringe 31 Jul - 1 Aug

‘a funny and provoking examination of broken relationship’ ★★★★

It's never easy being the opening act; the pressure of setting the standard for what's to come. Signposts into Blackpool does an excellent job of fulfilling that role for the Camden Fringe Festival with a funny and provoking examination of broken relationships and the willingness to persevere with them.

Lily and Jasper are heading to Blackpool for a friend’s wedding, coincidentally coinciding with the first night of Blackpool illuminations, when they begin to acknowledge the cracks in their relationship. A storm on the night of the wedding thrusts them into a surreal evening where they relive moments from three couple’s lives familiar to them, bringing their own situation into context.

Louis Pieris and Hannah Brownlie take on the roles of all eight characters in this play and do a fine job of switching effortlessly between them. The chemistry they have together on stage plays a big factor in how engaging each couple’s story is and both of them bring a likeability to the characters, all of which are flawed to an extent. Their use of accents (additional credit to Pieris for the accuracy of his Scottish) and body language are varied enough without being farcical to sufficiently distinguish each character that they portray.

Pieris is also the playwright of this piece and should be proud of what he has achieved in this his debut work. The dialogue is natural and well paced and the plot maintains the audience’s attention despite its non-linear structure. Although the subject matter is bleak, the play never feels too depressing, mainly due to the cleverly scattered humour which both actors, particularly Brownlie, deliver impeccably. 

While each couple’s story offers enough substance to make all of them interesting, the overarching story of Lily and Jasper could have perhaps been explored a little further, particularly in the intersecting scenes in the later stages of the play. The play throws up many questions which are deliberately left to ponder afterwards but there was maybe some room for a little more clarity on their story during these moments. 

Director, Heather Kirk does an excellent job of giving each couple’s story its own platform, utilising the limited props and setting to great effect. A blow-up bed, a travel cot and a couple of fold-up chairs are all that are needed to mimic the inside of a car, a bathroom and a sofa. She uses the small theatre space well and her transitions function adequately to achieve the needed sense of time movement.

Overall, this was an enjoyable exploration of what makes relationships break down with two strong performances that will leave audiences in anticipation of what these talented young creatives will pursue next.

Written by Louis Pieris

Directed by Heather Kirk

Produced by Emily Susanne Lloyd

Pomona Theatre

Twitter: @PomonaTheatre

Reviewed by John Montgomery