East 15 Acting School enjoy raising the bar on their student showcases, not least in terms of content and this year’s BA acting course is no exception. In an afternoon that samples new writing alongside Shakespeare’s sonnets, the invited audience of industry professionals are at least given an insight into the versatility of the graduates. Philip Weaver’s directorial style marries the contemporary and the classical well and the small, informal band playing incidental music adds to the ambience.
Setting the rhythm of the afternoon Samuel Garcia and Ed Pinker battle it out on the dance floor as rival suitors to the mysterious Valentina. Pinker plays the anxious, Cafe Nero Ed to perfection, his physicality reflecting the awkwardness of Ed’s dilemma. Garcia on the other hand - while perhaps a less imposing figure - oozes a mixture of confidence and arrogance completely suited to the Latin dance teacher he portrays.
Scene Three, where ex-lovers argue over their current relationship is less successful in terms of writing. Haydn Whiteside and April Hughes both deliver particularly vibrant and distinctly absorbing performances. The history behind the couple is reflected not by what the actors say but by how they articulate the sub text physically. There is a haunted anguish behind Whiteside’s eyes as he clings hopelessly to the past and bitterness in Hughes’ snappy delivery that speaks volumes more than the text.
Asha Reid proves to be a exceptionally versatile performer. Reid provides both a thoroughly engaging performance of Sonnet 49, allowing the metre to guide her interpretation of the poem and also brings us a richly layered character in Scene Four. Thankfully Reid has the equally talented Samuel Young to bounce off and the two are electric on stage, both actors conveying the intimate sense of mistrust and understanding woven into the storyline. Young’s rendition of Sonnet 61 was efficient rather than exemplary but in his contemporary comedy of manners, he is sublime.
Highlighting the Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus theme of the afternoon are Seamus Bradford and Eleanor Dillon-Reams appearing in Scene Five, with a couple arguing the question of marriage. Bradford is well cast as a picture of calm, underpinned with desperate insecurity as he tries to calm his girlfriend down. Dillon-Reams is almost in danger of hitting one level of hysteria and remaining there but thankfully is allowed to bring a little light and shade to the scene towards the close. Ultimately it is Dillon-Reams’ take on Sonnet 90, demonstrating both authority and technique, that showcases this actor’s individual strengths.
Scene Six introduces Tope Mikun as an amiable Jack the Lad attempting to mend his relationship with an ex girlfriend. A little mannered in places, Mikun warms to both the situation and his audience and negotiates the comedy of the scene with panache. Harriet Clayton as the girlfriend gives a much more subtle, restrained performance yet despite these differing styles, the two work exceptionally well together.
Belinda Balfour sits rather uncertainly in this showcase. The actor certainly has style although her delivery of Sonnet 129 is somewhat laboured and the contemporary Scene Seven although less poetic, has a bizarre almost heightened delivery. Opposite the distinctly naturalistic performance given by Lee Armstrong, Balfour might seem something of an anomaly. In fact, the two actors found a momentum within the scene and ran with it with Balfour proving to have no little value as a good, possibly great character actor.
If your boyfriend proposes marriage in a queue at Sainsbury’s you might have cause to complain. Sophie Barker and Harper James play this scene out beautifully, establishing almost within an instant the situation and then playing out the denouement for all its comedy value. Barker’s Sonnet 141 may have layered on some unnecessary emotion but this actor has both an engaging delivery and instinctive knack of comic timing. James delivers an acceptable rendition of Sonnet 129 but there appears little connection to the sentiment beneath although the actor appears much more at ease with the rom-com values of Scene Eight.
Julian Moore-Cook might have a contemporary look and delivery but his interpretation of Sonnet 144 is easily one of the more accomplished in this afternoons showcase, topped only perhaps by Lucy Kilpatrick’s natural grasp of the rhythm and language. Coupled with Kilpatrick, a performer with a particularly commanding stage presence, then fireworks should be expected and indeed arrive. Moore-Cook is bullishly aggressive, although played with economy here so as not to overpower and Kilpatrick is at turns expressive and reserved, the two breaking through to the heart of the scene together with a skill that belies their age.
Sofie Johansen arrives on the scene in a flurry of taffeta and lace to portray a slightly hideous jilted bride. Given this one level to play on Johansen gives it all she has, producing some of the biggest laughs of the showcase but saved from going completely over the top by a gentle performance from Tom Jennings, who thankfully tempers the scene with both calm and charm.
Nathaniel Priestly and Anna Melrose develop a peculiar relationship in their scene that hints at infidelity but fails to find any real resolution. There are complexities in the sub text that both actors are desperate to unravel but try as they may, it never really takes off despite diligent stagecraft from both. Ultimately this is one of the dangers of featuring new, untried work in a showcase situation. Melrose is much more successful in gentle, poetic mode with an enchanting rendition of Sonnet 140.
Sitting down to dinner, Effie and Edward are interrupted by an unwelcome visitor who appears to know too much about Effie’s past. There are elements of Joe Orton resonant in this scene and Effie Wilson is perfection as she hesitantly sways between indignation and fear of the possible outcome. Edward Passmore plays the nervous, middle-class husband to the hilt, underpinning the fear generated by Chukwudi Onwere’s marvellously bizarre intruder. Each actor, piece by piece builds on the tension in the scene but it is Onwere’s timing and delivery, at turns quirky and menacing that give the scene its distinct flavour.
Expert’s Choice
Daryl Branch, Creative Blast Agency chooses Sophie Barker and Julian Moore-Clarke
Duke of York's, London, February 2
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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