REVIEW: TOO SOON? at The Lion and Unicorn / Camden Fringe 7 -11 Aug

‘A wholesome journey which explores a number of ideas’

The premise of a story about the life of a stand-up comedian is not a new one, but those that have found success in the past tend to have strong character arcs away from the comic scene. Too Soon? manages to deliver on this at times but struggles to break from its unique use of a stand-up show as the overarching setting which, while a novel idea, becomes almost a distraction from the main events.

Too Soon? begins as a comeback stand-up show performed by fictional comedian Ash Khan, played by writer and director Kal Aise, before emerging into a Christmas Carol esq probe into his life. He is intermittently forced to relive his relationship with ex-girlfriend Jasmine, played by Lauren Rutherford, culminating in the 2007 BAFTAs where he suffers a breakdown on stage.

Aise has taken on the difficult challenge of portraying a character who has to cross-over from the natural plot into the current stand-up setting where he frequently breaks the fourth wall. His best scenes are those where he engages with other characters in the past, particularly Jasmine, where moments of tenderness allow him to explore the emotions of his character.

Current day Ash is a much more difficult sell. The stand-up routine gives off an air of someone trying to tell someone else about a routine they once saw; it’s never quite as funny. Aise, who is a stand up and IS funny, is perhaps limited by the time on offer to let the jokes land or maybe his decision to make the character of Ash somewhat removed from himself is a hindrance. Ultimately though, these exchanges are not as funny as they should be.

The play works best when it occasionally presents direct conflicts. Joshua Glenister, playing bad guy Ricky, tends to be at the centre of most of these and does a tremendous job of serving up a character who is both manipulative and charming. From the moment he arrives on stage, his presence is felt throughout, and it is noticeable when he is not involved.

Glenister’s Ricky wouldn’t flourish without an able counterpart, and he finds that in Rutherford’s Jasmine. Rutherford successfully manages to hold her ground in each altercation whilst remaining vulnerable, providing the play with something to care about. If Glenister is the villain of the piece, then she is very much the heart. The final supporting role of Rowan is confidently taken on by Sophie Macaroni who delivers much of the humour.

The plot itself is a wholesome journey which explores a number of ideas, most notably the rise to celebrity and the implications of challenging it. There is a definite energy to the dialogue which powers through from start to finish and where Aise’s background in comedy will undoubtedly have helped cultivate. Some of his more explicit lines intended for humour did seem a little unnecessary but perhaps an alternative audience would be more accepting of them.

The tempo of the story in general works well and gathers pace nicely towards the third act but events seem a little rushed after that. There is some closure which is satisfactory, but some circumstances do seem a little conduced or improbable. It also seemed strange to more or less skip by the aforementioned BAFTA scene which was slightly anti-climactic.

Overall, Too Soon? is a play which provides a different format to the usual tragic love story and certainly offers occasions which will keep audiences immersed. It’s just unfortunate that these are so sporadic and that the play falters on its comedy which, in this case, is more noticeable than in other shows.

Too Soon? at The Lion and Unicorn 7 - 11 Aug

Box Office https://camdenfringe.com/events/play-tragi-comedy-too-soon/

Writer and Director: Kal Aise

Assistant Director: Meg Wilde

Assistant Producer: John Hyams

Sound and Lighting: Luke Chaproniere

Reviewer: John Montgomery