Writer: Neil LaBute
Director: James Haddrell
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Mixed Bag“
2.5 / 5
Ten short plays written by Neil LaBute have been put together as a three chapter collection, spanning across Kings Head Theatre and Greenwich Theatre, each of which offering a view of life and relationships.
Intriguing format, though Chapter 1 is very much a mixed bag offering, and LaBute’s writing doesn’t quite live up to the promise of ‘savage’ or ‘radical’ as outlined. The first play ‘Hate Crime’ focuses on two men (Boris Anthony York & Liam Jedele) putting their affair on hold, hatching a plan to murder one of their husbands to collect the insurance and finally be together. Sounds brilliantly suspenseful, but instead of it being packed with shocking revelations and charged conversations, it’s very slow, constantly wrapping itself in circles with repeated dialogue and leading to an unfulfilling conclusion. Jedele and York lack the chemistry needed to make their illicit relationship feel believable, and the bland dialogue lacks the courage and conviction to really draw the audience in.
York is the sole character in the second play of the evening – ‘Kandahar’, showcasing his versatility as he transforms into a hardened Army general. His entire career has taught him to be merciless and ruthless, and that mindset has seeped out of work and into his personal life. Problems with his wife have been eating away at him, his self-control withering away, as his anger slowly rises up. York delivers his monologue well, but similar to Hate Crime, it lacks the depth needed to really hook you and fully invest into the narrative. It does work considerably better than Hate Crime, as there is more of a structure to the storyline, but it’s still a bit too lifeless (which isn’t helped by him sitting behind a desk for the full 30 minutes) for it to convey the rising anger and simmering tension that the audience should be feeling from the character.
The final play ‘ The Promise’ however, is absolutely brilliant, a quirky, unconventional tale of seduction portrayed by the two wonderful leads Maya-Nika Bewley & Anna María. Coming across the girl of her dreams, she’s decided she’ll do whatever it takes to get her. Bizarrely, she settles on sleeping with her boyfriend to break them up, and ultimately snag her for herself. What follows is the flirty, chemistry charged conversations between the two women as one desperately tries to convince the other to give them a go. It’s funny, unique and full of spark, Maria and Bewley are excellent at toying with the romantic tension, and the slow unfolding of the storyline is perfectly paced.
An uneven collection of stories – which could possibly be polished somewhat by having Kandahar as the opening story, and then the slower, less impactful Hate Crime following on, though The Promise works well at the end by saving the best ’til last.
Runs until 14th March, with Chapters 2 & 3 following
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