OVERFLOW (Bush Theatre)****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/overflow-online

Available until: Livestreams on 19^th, 20^th, 21^st, 22^nd and 23^rd January at 8pm. Matinée 20^th January at 2pm. The 20^th January matinée is audio-described and the 20^th January evening performance is captioned.

Age guidance: 14+. Strong language, strobe lighting and loud noises are used in this production.

Overflow is a monologue play about a woman called Rosie. She’s a trans woman, but she’s also a woman. I wouldn’t really want to see her differently from any other woman. If she has problems, then I’d want to support her. Some of her problems might be related to being trans and some might not be. All her problems would matter to me if she was my friend or if she needed me in some way.

But not everyone sees it as I do and I might have got it wrong too. It is easy to get things wrong with other people. All you can do is get to know them and be prepared to keep learning because you never know what might happen in the future or what they haven’t told you yet.

There is a lot to learn in Overflow. About being trans, about being a woman, about being a human being. The show opens with a pronouncement which shocked me a little bit. There’s nothing wrong with what she says, but most people don’t get to the point quite that quickly! The thing about monologues is that they are addressed to the audience, not to other characters who probably already know them and a play can easily start from the middle of a conversation. When it comes to a character in the monologue and the audience, the acquaintance starts with the first line of the play so the first line feels quite startling. But although Rosie is talking to us, this is still a play – and the first thing she needs is to get our attention.

Rosie gets our attention wonderfully. The opening to this play, written by Travis Albanza, really brought home to me how much we judge other people all the time. I didn’t judge negatively – I admire Rosie very much for the skill she has perfected. It is impressive and practical and a great idea, though not very easy to learn. But as the play continues, you learn that there is so much more to it than convenience. That even the simplest and most natural things can become really difficult. Sometimes planning ahead isn’t a positive experience. It’s more about reducing the negatives.

I don’t want to go too much into the details of the plot because Rosie tells her story so well, but it is informative and thought-provoking. She doesn’t bombard the audience with information or reproach us for the things we probably have all done wrong, but it makes you think about things in new ways. It shows that, while your attitude so far might be a good one which is heading in the right direction, there is always more to think about and more to learn.

It also has some very interesting observations to make about friends and their role in our lives. I don’t want to give anything away about that either, but Rosie’s attitude is really inspiring and it’s something else we can all learn from.

Travis Albanza has written this play very cleverly, starting with something a bit startling, then going into the story. The story seems to meander a bit, as people do when they’re telling you something. They jump back and forth in time as memories occur to them. It can be quite confusing, but not in this play. Mr Albanza’s script explains the things that might be confusing and when he doesn’t explain things straight away, it leads to some really great “Oh, of course!” moments.

Women’s bathrooms are very important in this production and designer Max Johns has created a set which is a women’s bathroom. It is a really nice bathroom – probably a lot nicer than some of the public bathrooms Rosie talks about in this piece, but it still makes the point. Lighting designer Jess Bernberg and composer and sound designer Francis Botu also add a lot to the play. Sometimes it is atmospheric and sometimes it is ironic.

Reece Lyons gives Rosie a great personality and confidence. She is likeable, inspiring (in all sorts of ways, to all sorts of people) and funny. It feels like she enjoys shocking people but doesn’t want to frighten or hurt them. It’s a very honest monologue, which Ms Lyons presents in a truthful and meaningful way. The play might shock you and amuse you, but I think it will make you feel things deeply too.

The important thing about Ms Lyons to me is that she is a good actress who performs the role well, but I would also like to say I’m happy that the Bush Theatre cast a trans actress in the role. It is really important to have more visibility for trans people and to give them more opportunities, especially as Ms Lyons can bring a really important perspective to this role. This is the first time I have ever seen a Bush Theatre production, but this makes me want to see more of their plays.