King's Head Theatre
Playing until 23rd March 2025
Photo credit: Johan Persson
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Stalled takes place in a public lavatory, where janitor Maggie (Lauren Ward) meets and engages with people from all walks of life. The frequent flyers of this public bathroom include Cynthia (Josie Benson), a stressed mother who is constantly worried about her daughter Emma (Grace Venus), the closeted Krystal (Regina Co) under the pressure to find a boyfriend, and spoken words writer Serena (Evita Khrime), who share their worries and anxiety with Maggie as they come and go from the bathroom. Maggie, who wound up in this job to escape from her recent trauma, somehow finds comfort in this place as she conjures up and communicates with an imagery of her recently deceased daughter, all the while listens and offers advice to these strangers.
With multiple stories happening in parallel, it is easy to think Maggie as a bystander who helps each character to understand more about themselves and the link among the different strands. However, Liesl Wilke’s book establishes early on that this could not be further from the truth. Maggie is accompanied by a vision of her daughter, Robin (Rebecca-Jo Roberts) for the first half of the show, blurring her conversation with Robin and the others who are also present, particularly Serena, who is similar in age to Robin. The script and lyrics by Liesl Wilke, Andy Marsh and Kyle Puccia are cleverly crafted to explain away why the other characters never caught on to Maggie’s hallucinations, merely interpreting what she says to fit their own scenarios.
Throughout the sequence of events, it is apparently that Maggie is deeply hurt and has not yet accepted the passing of Robin, and she finds ways to relate to each of the woman that walks through the bathroom door. The women impart wisdom to each other in their brief encounters, with each ultimately finding peace in the lessons they learned from one another.
The musical numbers are balanced, at times conveying trauma and sensitivity (“Beautiful Girl”) and other times, whimsy and silliness (“1-800 Help me”), changing the pacing to give the audience some breathing space amidst the heavier themes. The choreography designed by Dannielle Rhimes Lecointe and set by Emily Bestow complement the script and musical numbers.
Led by a fantastically talented ensemble with impeccable vocal talents, the actors bring each and every one of the characters to life. Maggie’s grief radiates through Lauren Ward’s every expression and movement, Ward’s eyes and tears alone are enough to showcase the soul crushing weight she carries.
Despite the highlighted strengths, it is difficult to overlook certain elements of this production. Maggie seems to get a great deal of satisfaction by interacting and hearing the stories from the women she meets, making her escape from her own salon, where presumably people are more ready to share their stories, rather counter intuitive. The script made no attempt to hide the fact that Robin is not actually there and she is merely an apparition conjured by Maggie. The way this is handled currently feels heavy handed and a more gradual revelation, particularly in response to the women’s stories could help build up the suspense, maximising the impact of Maggie’s breakdown when this is eventually revealed. Furthermore, there are multiple concurrent story lines, dispersed through ninety minutes, and barely related to Maggie's own struggles, making it difficult to become immersed in these added plots.
From a staging perspective, the space is very small and confined for the number of actors on stage, particularly during the opening and closing numbers. Although the actors have tried their best to avoid getting into each others’ way, this was not completely successful and a slightly scaled back version of “Stalled” and “Sing me down the road” may help reduce the traffic.
Through an innovative concept and a mesmerising score, Stalled provides a literal depiction of a group of women who have stalled in life. Each actor is a force to be reckoned with, bringing powerful vocals and a wave of emotions with them, creating a story that is both poignant and whimsical in a place where one wouldn’t usually expect people to bond.
Creatives
Book Writer & Co-Lyricist: Liesl Wilke
Composer & Lyrics: Andy Marsh
Additional Music & Lyrics: Kyle Puccia
Director: Vikki Stone
Musical Director: Livi Van Warmelo
Movement Director: Dannielle Rhimes Lecointe
Set & Costume Designer: Emily Bestow
Casting Director: Rob Kelly
Lighting Designer: Ciaran Cunningham
Sound Design: Dan Samson
Producers: Stalled On Stage Ltd
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