Unexpected 01/04/19

Recently I went to see the first instalment of SHU Performance's Final Show Festival: 'Unexpected'. We are introduced into the auditorium by Future Mia (Sophie Davidson). She then opens the show instructing us to turn our phones off, this was an interesting take on the notion rather than the same dull tired announcement at the start that we have all heard a thousand times. We are told the story of Mia (Alexandra Hughes), a single woman who happens to be six months pregnant...despite not having sex in nine months, with three men showing up on her doorstep all claiming to be the father, Lucifer (Jack Hallam), the Angel Gabriel (Sam Fake) and Gary Goodman (Sophie Davidson). The tale is presented as a comedy built on the miscommunication between Mia, the three men, her ex-boyfriend Michael (Declan Smith) and her best friend Rebecca (Kiera Rhodes).

Alexandra Hughes was fantastic as Mia, she really brought the sarcastic yet caring character to life, she was confident and excellently cast in the role. She understood the role completely, playing the different sides of Mia rather than focusing on just one aspect of her personality.

The role of Future Mia was matched by Sophie Davidson with rhyming monologues exploring Mia's story. Her interaction with Declan Smith was very comedic. Taking on the role of Gary Goodman, she became immersed in his character completely, making you understand exactly what is wrong with Gary Goodman.

Sam Fake was amazing in the role of Gabriel, his angelic singing voice being a perfect match for the character when it was brought into play.

Jack Hallam was perfectly cast as Lucifer, his performance had both the dramatic tones needed for any actor who takes on any version of Lucifer, but the perfect amount of comedic chops for the play at hand.

The role of Michael was played exceptionally by Declan Smith, he managed to bring out all of Michael's stupidity, just further adding to the comedy. He didn't make Michael a one dimensional stupid character though which was a relief to see as more often than not people over play on stupidity.

Rebecca's character is very forgettable, with very few lines and not much personality, but Kiera Rhodes managed to make her memorable. Her largest monologue was delivered in a way that made the audience pay attention to find out what exactly her revelation was.

I enjoyed the show so much I went back the next night! All the actors were perfect in their roles and I could not imagine it with another cast. They all delivered the comedy of the script excellently, the audience laughing at almost every line in the play.

4/5

SOSFest -14/03/19

SOSFest stands for Sheffield Original Showcase Festival, a showcase of new works, both short scenes and monologues, written by Sheffield based writers and performed by Sheffield based actors. The night consisted of 7 new works by various writers.


Toyshop written by Jordan Nash. Performed by Daisy Frossard and Christy Fitzsimons.

Although I did not understand the story, it was still enjoyable to watch. Both actors were playing shop workers who took on various roles in scenes the characters developed. These scenes required the actors to take on a different persona as their character, this was done really well, each new character being more believable than the last.


Mr Frobisher: You're Fired written by Janice Sampson. Performed by Barry Worthington.

This was definitely my favourite performance of the night and I am not normally a fan of monologues. The actor gave a really enjoyable performance and kept you wanting more throughout. The monologue itself felt like it belonged in a full length play, I wanted to know more about the character's wife and his situation in the world of the play.


Footsteps written by Melanie Hopkins. Performed by Daisy Frossard and Rebekah Austin.

This started out as a zumba piece with various members of the company who left the stage at varying intervals leaving Frossard as the zumba instructor onstage alone. Austin's entrance took the scene to a more serious, yet still comedic turn, with a girl on the search to find her biological mum. The actors delivered the scene extremely well, the only issue being when one of the actors faced away from the audience, some words were lost.


Back In The Saddle written and performed by Janice Sampson.

Of the three monologues performed on the night, I feel like this was perhaps the weakest. Perhaps I felt this because it was the least relatable. The monologue was delivered believably by the actor but it did not keep me invested.


Dog Eat Dog written by Melanie Hopkins. Performed by Rebekah Austin, James Gucc and Barry Worthington.

This was definitely the weirdest performance of the night. Although an intriguing and interesting idea, portraying a powerful woman on stage, I was left with a few questions about the performance, such as why did the actors enter from downstage? It seemed like an unusual place to enter from, but perhaps this was chosen to fit in with the strangeness of the rest of the piece. By strange I do not mean bad by any means, it felt like it could be one scene from entire play, I would love to have learnt more about what occurred both before and following this scene.


On Stage With Shirley Bassey written by Janice Sampson. Performed by Christy Fitzsimons.

This monologue was performed excellently and I clearly understood all that was happening. The lighting was very homely and complimented the scene well. I wish I could write more on this monologue but it was just too good for me to comment on anything else.


The New House written by Melanie Hopkins. Performed by the entire company (with the exception of Janice Sampson).

I was glad to see a piece performed by the entire company, I often found myself looking less at the characters leading the scene, and more at those in the background. The standout for me was definitely James Gucc, he was a comedic character without going overboard and his presence was definitely felt onstage. The scene ends in a blackout followed by a plot twist (which I won't spoil in case Melanie takes this further). I found the plot twist kind of unnecessary and confusing, it could have worked just as well ending on the blackout.

Overall the night was entertaining but I personally do not believe the brand of comedy was my style, however the audience were laughing along to every scene and really enjoying their time watching the performance.

3/5