REVIEW written by Daniel McCrohon
28/2/23
Crowbait began in 2011 in Portland, Maine, USA as the brainchild of April Singley, Michael Tooher, and Cullen McGough in which a group of actors and playwrights meet once a month, and a selection of new writing is workshopped and given a dramatised reading. A vote is then taken – the winning piece going through to the showcase – the first of which was performed on Saturday night last week at the Guildhall Studio Theatre.
And what an evening it was!
Nick Downes and Tyrone Baptiste in 'On The Quay'
First up was Nick Downes’ On the Quay (Directed by April Singley) – A poignant exchange on loss between two strangers reaching out to one another. Played sensitively by both Nick Downes (who gave a realistic portrayal of a man who has lost his sight) and by Tyrone Baptiste, whose character was mourning the loss of a friend. The dialogue was gently underscored by the lapping of waves, which not only told us where this encounter was taking place, but also enhanced the mood of the piece.
Yvonne Maxwell and Tony Course in 'Lost and Found'
In direct contrast to this was Joan Horton’s Lost and Found (Directed by Jan Rawson), a comic sketch on the perils of blind dating. Central to the action was a suitably manic Tony Course, working his over-exuberant charms on hapless victim Yvonne Maxwell, whose mixture of bemusement and compassion was a joy to watch. Giullianna Martinez’s entrance as the real date, was the icing on the cake. She deftly painted us a portrait of the ‘date from hell’ to great comedic effect, though we could not help but feel a little sorry for her character when she was ultimately rejected. Though her character was clearly intended as the ‘punchline’, it was to Martinez’s credit that she made the role so memorable, giving us both humour and pathos in a finely detailed and well-observed performance, where a lesser talent might have resorted to cliché; and we the audience were most certainly left wanting to see more of this promising young actress - perhaps writer Joan Horton might treat us to a sequel detailing how an actual date could have played out between Course’s and Martinez’s characters? There is certainly a further rich vein of comedy gold to be mined here.
Giullianna Martinez and Tony Course in 'Lost and Found'
We were treated to another twist in the tale in Kia Wilson’s Chocolate Orange (Directed by April Singley) – Beautifully played by Joseph Scatley and Jan Rawson (deserving a special mention here, as she stepped into the breach at the last moment, due to illness) it was in turns both comic and sad. This was ostensibly the tale of a geriatric shoplifter who has been detained by a store detective – during the course of the conversation though, we were left with the impression that this meeting between the two was nothing new – and that a bond had developed between them, spanning the generations. The final twist showed us just how close that bond was…
Janet Rawson and Joseph Scatley in 'Chocolate Orange'
…And just when we thought we’d seen everything: Who should walk on to the stage, but good Queen Bess herself! In Impasse (Directed by Steve Blackham) April Singley was Elizabeth the First! She was totally believable in the part, from details such as the signature white lead make-up and red wig, to the gravitas and dignity that she brought to the role. April’s performance was all the more remarkable as this most quintessentially English of English sovereigns when one remembers that she is native to Boston – her English accent though, was impeccable! Equally impeccable was Poppy Lowles’s Irish accented Pirate Queen, Grace O’Malley. In this sumptuously costumed and moodily lit piece, the encounter between the two women was electric and positively crackled with dramatic tension and danger. Adding to this already brooding atmosphere of menace were Chris Wrein’s and Tony Course’s High Counsellors, Lord Cecil and Lord [fill in the blank]. Suitably robed in black, they put one in mind of giant ravens who at any moment might pounce on their prey. Here they also give the male perspective (Off with her head and ask questions later!) in counterpoint to Elizabeth’s female and more intuitive approach of compromise. The piece becomes as much then about the masculine versus feminine, as it is England versus Ireland, and we are left with a feeling of mutual respect between these two powerful women, who in a different reality might have been friends. The play is based on a real-life encounter between these two monarchs, and though history does not relate exactly what passed between them, April Singley’s script has admirably filled in those blanks.
April Singley, Poppy Lowles, Tony Course and Chris Wrein in 'The Impasse'
Staying with the historical theme, we were then taken from the Tudor Court to the battlefields of World War Two with Chris Wrein’s Otto, (Directed again by Steve Blackham) though this piece was staged in a more stylistic way, opening in a modern day care home with David Penrose as an elderly resident with Kia Wilson as his nurse. As the narrative unfolds we hear the sad tale of ‘an ordinary man haunted by his experiences of war’, and we see here the tragic consequences of the masculine perspective explored in the last piece: in this case, shoot first, ask questions later! David Penrose’s moving narrative is effectively punctuated by Kia Wilson, who takes on an array of different characters: a callous Sergeant Major, a Corporal and the titular Otto, a young and innocent German soldier who begs for mercy, but in the heat of the moment is shot down; an incident that has remained with Penrose’s character ever since, and makes the piece an almost love story, albeit from a different perspective. This was a poignant and thought-provoking piece that took us into the interval.
Kia Wilson and David Penrose in 'Otto'
In the second half, we were taken from the past into a dystopian future in 2049 AD (Written and directed by Jan Rawson). In stark contrast to Joseph Scatley’s (presumably!) very fertile ‘Jack the Lad’ was Liz Garland’s cold and clinical administrator which led to some amusing moments in the dialogue, though the final implications for the survival of the human race were deeply disturbing, as perhaps all trips to Dystopia should be.
Liz Garland and Joseph Scatley in '2049 AD'
Poignant and amusing was Claire Campbell’s Parked – a one woman show performed by Gail Oakley (Directed by Jan Rawson), It was a credit to actor, writer and director, that though this was a static piece (and you can’t really get much more static than a character sat in the driving seat of a car in a car park!) the audience remained riveted throughout.
Gail Oakley in 'Parked'
Perhaps the most heart-warming piece of the evening was Tyrone Baptiste’s Frank and Joy(Directed by April Singley); a moving tribute to his grandparents exploring the nature of bereavement, and of finally having to say goodbye to the one we love. Sensitively played by David Penrose and Jan Rawson, the ‘twist’ at the end was both gentle and heart-breaking.
Jan Rawson and David Penrose in 'Frank and Joy'
We weren’t given long to reflect on this, however, as hot on its heels came the high energy antics of two Television Executives in Tony Course’s The Ratings (Directed by Steve Blackham); a visit to another Dystopia almost as disturbing as Jan Rawson’s bleak vision of the future seen earlier. Fast paced and manic, both actors play their parts and bounce off each other very well. We get a sense of the cut-throat world of Show-Biz, in Chris Wrein’s older executive desperately trying to keep up with his younger and more trendy counterpart played by Poppy Lowles. In our real world where reality television becomes increasingly crueller and more exploitative, Tony Course’s speculation on the future of entertainment seems disturbingly prophetic…
Poppy Lowles and Chris Wrein in 'The Ratings'
This then was Crowbait’s first Showbait – an entertaining, joyous and thought-provoking evening in the theatre, and giving voice to some brand new playwrights as well as celebrating a few that are already established.
Of course, an evening like this doesn’t just happen by itself, and it is to the credit of April Singley and her husband Christian Masters (the driving forces behind tonight’s programme), who have done a truly admirable and inspiring job in gathering together this group of actors, directors and writers.
The Cast and Crew of Crowbait:Showbait
It is to be hoped that this will be the first of many such special evenings that so enriches both the theatre scene in Portsmouth, and the community as a whole. More, please!!!
To find out more about Crowbait, please visit the website - https://crowbait.co.uk
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