Plaything

Drayton Arms Theatre

{Gifted ticket}

Having established Boo, a successful toddler persona on stage, our protagonist, a cabaret performer appears in a problematic TV interview, where both her character and talent came under question. Taking matters into her own hands, she took a radical action to cancel all remaining performances of Boo and engaged in a variety characters, creating a fresh and unique identify each time.  

This is a story of the performance industry, the pressure for actors to be flexible or risk being typecasted, and preconceptions based on one’s physical appearance. While the narrative seems to focus on the female performer perspective, the issues are arguably much more widespread. Isabella Thompson (writer and performer) masterfully crafted a range of engaging and entertaining personas in quick succession, each holding their own without overshadowing the others. One thing is clear, our protagonist is willing to go to any length to erase all traces of Boo, even going as far as defying the recommendations from her agent to break out of the constraints that the others have put on her.

Thompson ought to be applauded for her range of emotions demonstrated, portraying the burden of her character’s career during her down time when she is by herself between her acting performances. While the overall direction of travel for this piece was clear, there are perhaps areas of refinement, especially in terms of the degree of ambiguity from my perspective. Two specific elements come to mind: 1, whether it is genuinely perceived by her audience that they could see nothing but a young woman playing toddler, or whether this is her own interpretation of her audience’s response; 2, whether there are learnings or realisation that despite all the negativities, Boo is something that she could be proud of and an asset for future ventures. The latter seems to be alluded to at the end of the play, but perhaps left too much to audience's interpretation.  

Using the limited resources available, the creative team including Julia Sopher (Director), Cassidy McCartan (Cassidy McCartan) and Nico Wood-Olivan (Sound Design) has transformed a black box theatre that can work with the range of characters created. DJ Charlie in particular, managed to interact with the audience in a casual and natural manner without instilling fear for audience members that feel ill at ease at the mere mention of audience participation (myself included).

A portable curtain was used to provide Thompson with the space for a quick change between characters. Despite its simplicity, it works remarkably well, giving the audience a preview of what is to come through her silhouettes. What could have perhaps further enhanced this, is a short narrative to build the character while she changes and what the protagonist wants to achieve with this new persona before it emerges, helping the audience adjust and be prepped before they are plunged into another act. This would also help reduce the awkwardness during the costume change where the stage has little beyond the background music.

For a show in early development, it has demonstrated immense potential, exposing the emotional and physical pressure behind the glamour of the entertainment industry. Plaything is not perfect, but certainly a gem ready for the opportunity to be further polished.

Creatives

Writer: Isabella Thompson

Director: Julia Sopher

Movement Director: Cassidy McCartan

Sound Designer: Nico Wood-Olivan