I was to attend a play at The Basement; a place where I’ve been many times before, mostly to see quality performances, but also a place which I really don’t fit into well. It is a strange world of skinny jeans, assorted 1960’s hats and black-painted-brickwork. It is an underground, studenty, artistic kind of place; so it goes without saying that my t-shirt with an orange butterfly on it... well it stood out.
I was at The Basement to see AUTOBAHN – a short-play cycle. And just what the frick is a short-play cycle? I wondered the same thing myself and happily, I can now report that it is one play made up of a series of short ones. In this case, six short-plays all set in cars.
For the most part it’s unimportant that each of these vignettes is based in a car, they could just as easily take place on a bus, or on a park bench... or even waiting in line at a Joseph Gordon-Levitt convention. (I know deep in my heart that if I just believe hard enough, I can make such dreams come true.)
What is important, as we find out in the final scene when the brilliant Annie Whittle wraps everything up into one neat package for us, is that by joining each couple in their car, we are essentially breaking into a sealed cocoon. Private conversations are opened up to the public and dirty laundry is aired.
I don’t want to say too much though. Each story begins half-way through as we join the characters at a time when they clearly know things we don’t and, very slowly, the full extent of their conversations; their worries, their lives and problems, is revealed to us. Clues? I can do clues! Skip to the next paragraph now if you’re a lover of surprises! Sociopathic alcoholic, a helpless grammar Nazi who bites off a little more than he can correct, a potty-mouthed John Goodman (with a perm) impersonator, an adulterous drunk, paedophilia, and a couple of suspicious foster parents.
If you finished reading that paragraph you’ll see this is heavy stuff. If you skipped ahead then... the play’s about bunny rabbits. Thankfully there are plenty of laughs and some very good performances to keep us entertained. In addition to Annie Whittle, Todd Emerson stands out in my mind. I’ve seen him five or six times this year (most recently in 'The History Boys') and he’s proving himself to be a very versatile young actor.
This is heavy stuff, but head along before November 14th if you like a little dose of human emotion, a sniff of drama, a touch of intrigue and a night at the theatre. Do yourself a favour though, ditch the butterfly t-shirt and wear a beret!
I was at The Basement to see AUTOBAHN – a short-play cycle. And just what the frick is a short-play cycle? I wondered the same thing myself and happily, I can now report that it is one play made up of a series of short ones. In this case, six short-plays all set in cars.
For the most part it’s unimportant that each of these vignettes is based in a car, they could just as easily take place on a bus, or on a park bench... or even waiting in line at a Joseph Gordon-Levitt convention. (I know deep in my heart that if I just believe hard enough, I can make such dreams come true.)
What is important, as we find out in the final scene when the brilliant Annie Whittle wraps everything up into one neat package for us, is that by joining each couple in their car, we are essentially breaking into a sealed cocoon. Private conversations are opened up to the public and dirty laundry is aired.
I don’t want to say too much though. Each story begins half-way through as we join the characters at a time when they clearly know things we don’t and, very slowly, the full extent of their conversations; their worries, their lives and problems, is revealed to us. Clues? I can do clues! Skip to the next paragraph now if you’re a lover of surprises! Sociopathic alcoholic, a helpless grammar Nazi who bites off a little more than he can correct, a potty-mouthed John Goodman (with a perm) impersonator, an adulterous drunk, paedophilia, and a couple of suspicious foster parents.
If you finished reading that paragraph you’ll see this is heavy stuff. If you skipped ahead then... the play’s about bunny rabbits. Thankfully there are plenty of laughs and some very good performances to keep us entertained. In addition to Annie Whittle, Todd Emerson stands out in my mind. I’ve seen him five or six times this year (most recently in 'The History Boys') and he’s proving himself to be a very versatile young actor.
This is heavy stuff, but head along before November 14th if you like a little dose of human emotion, a sniff of drama, a touch of intrigue and a night at the theatre. Do yourself a favour though, ditch the butterfly t-shirt and wear a beret!
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