Thursday, December 17, 2020

THE LIFESTREAM (Short Play Submission Sunday/Greenwich Theatre***

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwbremgDNtg

Available until: Unknown

An actor is preparing to go on for the second half of a play. The first half maybe hasn’t gone terribly well and the director isn’t the happiest she’s ever been. But the show must go on.

At first, it seems like a situation most actors have been in, or thought they were in, or at least had nightmares about being in. Sometimes it doesn’t just feel right.

But sometimes it’s a bit more serious than that.

The actor is performing without an audience, which probably doesn’t help. But it’s nothing that a lot of other actors aren’t going through.

Or… is it? Maybe there’s a bit more to this than just lockdown. Maybe there’s something more serious going on.

Arthur Charlesworth’s script is full of twists and turns. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, something else happened to change my mind. The feeling of uncertainty and unease builds well and it’s not until the last line that you can even begin to be sure of anything.

Director James Haddrell has created an extra feeling of creepiness. The actor remains in the same part of the room, often with his exit barred. He’s trapped in part of the room, just as he’s trapped in the situation. There are a few different cameras and the switches between them can be sudden and disorientating, which really adds to an effect I can’t really explain without giving too much away. There are also mirrors in the scene which adds to the effect. Everything is reflected back to the actor.

Dan Gaisford plays the rather nervy actor, with Sian Eleanor Green as a director who doesn’t pull her punches. David King-Yombo plays Les, who chats so casually about things you wouldn’t normally chat casually about.

I think the idea could have been taken further (though I would guess Sunday Submissions have a time limit), but it has three good characters, a great idea that keeps you interested and a really creepy atmosphere.

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