DRAMA
REVIEW
TRIUMPHS OF THE IMAGINATION
T his year’s Theatre Studies contingent treated us to a double bill of stunningly inventive, and entertainingly different devised pieces, both focusing on protagonists full of invention and guile. First up was an adaptation of Graham Greene’s Our Man in Havana , written by the cast. We were taken to the sultry and seductive climes of Havana, Cuba, in a Cold War world of suspicion, suspense and surreal silliness from the off as the actors flooded the stage imitating a Cuban band using only parts of a vacuum cleaner as their ‘instruments’. The ridiculous and improbable rise of Jim Wormold was played with a fantastic sense of weariness and wiliness by Alex Holley as the cast hilariously portrayed the world of this run-of-the-mill vacuum cleaner salesman who is forced to fabricate ludicrous military reports to save his business. The exotic and vibrant world of Greene’s Havana was conjured brilliantly onstage as the actors twirled, twitched and tangoed away from enemy agents, MI6 and the Red Vulture – the dreaded Captain Segura (played with a psychotic glee by the devious Patch Hughes). Highlights were numerous in their brilliance, but the inventiveness of Wormold’s ‘reports’ was echoed fantastically in the multiplicity of uses the cast found for parts of a vacuum cleaner, from airplanes, to tube trains, to umbrellas. The entire cast, featuring the comic brilliance of Harry Warren, Harry Hogg, Nic Fly and Tom Downie, multi-roled to play pilots, secret agents, chefs, dancers and told the story with an incredible wit and charm. It is with some conviction that I say that I am yet to have found another show on any London stage that blends the Secret Service, Cuban music and vacuum cleaners to such hysterical effect. From the utterly hilarious to the jaw-dropping: next came a stunningly beautiful version of Man on Wire , the story of A2 Theatre Studies devised pieces: Our Man in Havana and Man on Wire Ollie Norton-Smith (OA) Photograph by Will Reid (OA)
Philippe Petit, the man who tightrope-walked across the twin towers in the 1970s. Inspired by the Oscar-winning documentary of the same name, this talented group of performers presented the equally astonishing true story of French wire-walker/professional madman Philippe Petit’s famous walk. Set to a stunning soundtrack, they delicately trod the line between the boundlessly ambitious mind of Philippe (played with poise and grace by Ed Reid) and the challenges of both the walk itself and the world around him. As the ensemble balletically and skilfully brought to life the heart-stoppingly moving and playful tale of a daring artist and visionary, the audience was left utterly entranced by the sumptuous visual imagery the ensemble created onstage, blending the line between imagination and reality with extreme deftness and skill. The performances of all involved were sublime, but Philippe’s relationships were explored fantastically in a romantic way with Annie (Miles Dee) and his best friend (Hamish Lloyd Barnes). However, as has come to be expected of this group, their physical set pieces were what really stole the show. A sequence set to deafening jazz as the troupe arrived in New York left the audience slack-jawed and showcased the abilities of the entire company, which also included the excellent Thomas Baldachin, Alfie Davies and Marko Marsenic. All in all this was a theatrical tour-de-force, imaginatively depicting a man who gave people one more reason to watch the skies. Testament to the quality of the work these A2 students produced, all candidates were awarded full marks for their outstanding demonstration of skill in what must be considered a vintage year of exam performances for the Drama department.
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