Alone, Together – Hen & Chickens Theatre, Highbury & Islington (Camden Fringe)

Writer & Director:  Francesca Woods 

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Experimental“

3 / 5

‘Alone, Together’ explores the question “if I am surrounded by people, why do I feel so alone?” through the lives of six schoolteachers, who despite their shared experiences, struggle to find a connection both separately and with each other.  

Writer and director Francesca Woods blends dialogue with choreographed routines in this creatively experimental production. We are first introduced to the characters in a slightly too long opening routine, breathlessly moving around the dimly lit room alone, brushing past one another but never stopping long enough to interact. This aspect of being alone is better conveyed later in the piece, when the characters are in the staff room, silently scrolling on their phones, politely dismissing any form of conversation as they choose to remain buried in their own bubble. 

The majority of the show focuses on characters breaking off into pairs as their individual storylines are briefly touched on. Jennifer Adams and Adam Wadge play a couple who are slowly falling out of love, Francesca Woods and Gianlorenzo Neri are friends who disagree about most things, but mainly relationships, and Rachel Elizabeth Smith’s feeling invigorated after a break up, moving in with Chloe Lauren Cheung without realising the heartbreak she’s privately going through. Each segment is semi resolved (or at least revisited), to allow one final insight into the pair’s relationships.

Having the characters segregated together helps to give a glimpse into each of their personal struggles, though it would be more impactful if they could either each have a little bit more time to unpack their individual relationships and hardships further, or allow just one shared narrative to take centre stage and be fully unraveled.

Outside of the conversations between characters are the experimental movement scenes – some very successful such as the rotation of all six teachers individually teaching their lessons, others, such as the high energy dance scene feel less integrated into the overall story, and more like filler scenes. These are often confused further by the sporadic lighting techniques – some scenes are bathed in clinically bright lighting, others so dim that facial expressions and reactions are completely lost, resulting in a loss of impact at some very pivotal moments. One stand out moment, is closer to the closing scenes, where all characters create a short song together, momentarily uniting them all in one final scene.

With some slightly better pacing and a stronger focus, the themes of the show would pull together fantastically and deliver a really engaging production.

Runs until 3rd August 2025