Press – Jack Studio Theatre, Brockley

Writer/Director: Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Satirical Script“

3.5 / 5

Film producers David and Kate are excitedly waiting for the inevitable Goldies nominations for their Civil War movie ‘Catch Me Some Freedom’. That is, until a tense interview reveals that the lead character (played by a white actor from reality TV show ‘Hot Bods’) in real life, was an African-American former slave.

From awards ceremony joy to panicked PR desperation, David (Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller) and Kate (Rosie Hart) have to quickly formulate a plan to get ahead of the backlash and try to protect their careers as much as possible. Do they lean into the outcry and market it as a ‘hate watch’, or is it better to scrap the marketing altogether and hope that it gets forgotten about in a few weeks?

The opening scene of David’s car-crash TV interview is a fantastic introduction to the show. David’s press-ready platitudes are delivered with his polished media trained persona, almost politician-like with his answers. His reaction to the bombshell that his ‘proudly historically accurate’ biopic is actually far from it, is fantastically well-done, the rabbit caught in headlights expression, as he awkwardly thinks on his feet on how to quickly backtrack to avoid scrutiny, is very funny.

The show then cuts to David and Kate frantically discussing their options, shining a satirical light on the entertainment industry. The stressful discussions on what plan of action to take are often humorous but do become slightly repetitive as the narrative continues. There are also a few instances where the pacing could be slightly improved – the conversations sometimes don’t feel natural enough, with added pauses for expected laughter that disrupts the otherwise fast-paced flow.

That being said, Brimmer-Beller’s satirical script is cleverly peppered with a multitude of references – such as Matthew McConaughey’s filmography and The Green Book controversy, and it’s these industry observations that help to pack a punch and keep the story engaging.

Runs until 5 July 2025