'The Comedy About A Bank Robbery' Criterion Theatre *****

For the last two years, Mischief Theatre’s production of, ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ has been making people roll in the aisles of the Duchess Theatre, then again, there is a question whether this is a one-hit wonder for the theatre company, but not in this specific exemplification. The West End production of Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields’ 2016 play, ‘The Comedy About a Bank Robbery’ was an hugely gleeful show that leaves you in absolute stitches, what is more, the interpretations were eloquent and really funny.

‘The Comedy About a Bank Robbery’ is set in Minneapolis in America where we’re introduced to prisoner, Mitch Ruscitti who has gone AWOL from jail and has a plan to embezzle a $500,000 diamond from a bank in Minneapolis who is handled by Robin Freeboys (Henry Lewis) and the bank’s antiqued intern, Warren Stax. Anyhow it appears that Mitch’s course of action is going to be destroyed by bossy mother, Ruth Monoghan (Nancy Wallinger), yet what she is not aware of is that her son, Sam Monoghan (Dave Hearn) is a pickpocket and has been doing this for some time. Due to this, Mitch goes to visit Robin Freeboys’ daughter Caprice who happens to be Mitch’s ex-girlfriend in the hope that she can help him with obtaining the diamond, on the other hand, when he sees Sam tries to court her, he does see red and for Sam, he has to imitate Robin Freeboys in a number of rather sticky situations so that he is not caught by the police due to his pickpocketing. When Warren Stax enters the room with an array of gifts, he goes down on bended knee with considerable difficulty and proposes to Caprice and in order to get rid of him as quick as humanly possible she accepts his proposal. Nevertheless, as Sam has been posing as her father, he accepts that Warren can be his daughter’s husband and when he comes into contact with the real Robin Freeboys, he calls him his soon to be father-in-law, understandably Robin is in utter shock and due to all the pressure of the bank and with Officer Randal Shuck (Jeremy Lloyd) investigating the whereabouts of Mitch it looks like Robin could be on the verge of a mini heart attack. Mitch is soon caught by the authorities, but with a little power of persuasion, the jinxed jail guard, Neil Cooper (Greg Tannohill) who initially helped him escape the first time gets a second chance to escape but under one condition that he will be given a cut on the price of the $500,000 diamond. Throughout the rail on the bank, Mitch, Caprice, Sam, Neil and another jail guard have to battle through a gargantuan amount of laser beams and at some point in this part, Neil ends up losing his life in a rather lethal shredder. However, Mitch finally gets his hands on the diamond and at the finale, Mitch and Caprice make a dash for it and escapes in a car, alternatively, Mitch accidentally drives the car off the cliff and it appears that Mitch and Caprice have fallen to their deaths in a hilarious way. Lewis, Sayer and Shields’ narrative is premium as they have cleverly incorporated an array of parodies from action movies  into a plot that is jammed full of diverting dialogue and the representation of how a hijacker endeavours to steal what they want and the betrayal of children to their parents and vice versa.

One found the performances by the company of, ‘The Comedy About a Bank Robbery’ was first-class as they have brought the high powered energy from switched characters such as; Chris Leask who plays the other lesser parts and the American accents were enunciated to precision and ease, moreover, the fight and stunt sequences which has been directed by fight director, Johnathan Waller and stunt consultant, Alex Frith of which were executed with such fluidly. Henry Shields is delightful as lead protagonist, Mitch Ruscitti; eminently how we see that his power of coaxing can be done with such straightforwardness with stupid jail guards, as well as, the scenes with Caprice conveys their comedic and strange relationship as he’s quite a villainous character and she’s the daughter of a bank manager. Charlie Russell is great as Mitch’s ex-girlfriend, Caprice Freeboys; conspicuously how surprising to see that she is going to be a part of Mitch’s plan to rip-off the $500,000 diamond in her own father’s bank, furthermore, we can see that she uses her looks to obtain male attention and with her countless love interests you can obviously see that she’s not a pleasant person whatsoever. 

Mark Bell’s direction is incredibly outstanding here as he has been able to stage a production that is critically splendid as the myriad of elements that change rapidly through Mitch’s strategy of kleptomaniacal the $500,000 diamond, in addition to this, the actual clowning aspects of the performance have been acted by fantastic and all-inclusive characterisations and the audience reaction does show its success. David Farley’s set design and Roberto Surace’s costume designs were comically stimulating as you can tell that the set and costumes are supposed to emulate the fun factor and the scenic elements were constructed and painted in the way in which the show is supposed to flow and that is to amuse and entertain people in a bank robbery scenario. Overall, the experience of, ‘The Comedy About a Bank Robbery’ was a stellar show and another stonker of a production from Mischief Theatre so they have two hit shows under their belt, let’s hope there will be another one and make it a hat-trick. Fingers crossed.

'Blue/Orange' Young Vic ****

You know what, without exception all places of occupation have a higherachy and those in a positon of power usually bring those lower down no matter if their viewpoint is the legitimate one. The Young Vic’s production of, Joe Penhall’s 2000 play, ‘Blue/Orange’ is an inquisitive feature on mental health and the manipulation of senior doctors to younger ones, conjointly the enactments were spiffing in the main.

‘Blue/Orange’ is set in a psychiatric hospital in London where we’re acquainted with youthful doctor, Bruce and mental health patient, Christopher who are both seeing whether if Christopher can be discharged from the unit, nonetheless, Bruce is rather perturbed by Christopher’s immense erratic behaviour as he makes a considerable amount of strange and elaborate statements. As such; Brue thinks that for the safety of Christopher and the general public that it’ll be beneficial if her remains in the unit until he’s fully well. Notwithstanding, when Bruce’s superior Robert arrives to examine Christopher himself, we can see that the position of power and status is ever so prominent as Robert is immensely Machiavellian and tries to say that Christopher is bushy-tailed which he really isn’t and Bruce is adamant that Christopher needs to stay as he is a danger to the public. Over the course of the performance, the hostility between Bruce and Robert is rife as Bruce is endeavouring to make Robert see that he is not thinking of the welfare of the patient and conjures up an observation where he place an orange onto a table and asks Christopher what the colour of the orange is and form this, Christopher declares that the colour of the orange is blue. Unfortunately, Robert completely dismisses the experiment as Robert is writing a piece of academic research and it appears that he is degrading Bruce’s professional opinion which quite frankly is the more ethical one indeed but Robert is having none of it. As the plot thickens, we see another side to Christopher’s persona when he makes a complaint about Bruce because he made some comments about his skin colour and these claims are ludicrous, additionally, Robert is using his conniving tactics where he convinces Christopher to form a legal accusation against Bruce. However, Christopher’s complaint could lead Bruce to be sacked and his career is over before he can progress, furthermore, Robert has now taken over as Christopher’s consultant. Throughout the show, our allegiances transfer onto Bruce as Christopher is manipulative and Robert is a vile human being of a doctor, then again, when he had a discussion with Bruce we are informed that prior to these altercations that Bruce was desperate for Robert to be his mentor. There’s more angst as Bruce is on the warpath and confidently expresses to Robert that he is no longer going to be bullied by Robert and at the finale there is a final standoff where Bruce says with such force that he is going to make a formal complaint against him and he does not care about the consequences of it. Penhall’s narrative is optimum as we can visible see the abominable things that befall behind the scenes in NHS hospitals; what is more, it was provocative to see how devious some psychiatric patients are in the hope that they can get their own way.

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Blue/Orange’ to be unreal as the strained atmosphere has been shown through delectable moments which conveys the good vs evil with regards to the care of NHS doctors. David Haig is brilliant as the calculating senior doctor, Robert; especially how frightening he is by the way in which he schemes against a younger doctor who proves that senior doctors do not necessarily know everything, likewise, he is exceedingly vile with how he communicates with Bruce and this is uncalled for. Luke Norris is alluring as young doctor, Bruce; for example how we can see that he goes through a lot of battles with making a case which his superior disagrees with, also, his character is the only one we can ultimately sympathise with as Robert is utter dimwit of a physician. Daniel Kaluuya is grand as mentally disturbed patient, Christopher; for the most part how his rapidly changing stories of whom his dad is and where he lives means that he is not ready to be a member of society and how he treats Bruce is disgusting as he is not as ill as he makes out and this is disquieting. 

Matthew Xia’s direction is miraculous here as he has been able to stage a revival of a play that really informs you of the reality of NHS hospitals, as well as, some moments of the show reminds me of the phenomenally gripping medical TV series, ‘ER’ where the superiors try to claim all the credit, what's more, the characterisations were so developed and portrayed the characteristics radiantly which is exceptional. Jeremy Herbert’s design is inspirational here as when you enter the Young Vic 

auditorium you walk through the waiting room of the NHS psychiatric unit which for me I didn’t think that would be my first part of the experience so in turn the set really immerses you into the show immediately which is awesome, plus, the flooring and the actual furniture were fully realistic as it reminds you of being in a hospital. Overall, the experience of, ‘Blue/Orange’ was an incalculably satisfying show that makes you think throughout and it’s always interesting to see what the Young Vic is up to next.

'The Suicide' National Theatre, Lyttleton ****

Every so often, a play that was written nearly 100 years ago can genuinely be given a new lease of life, which in turn will leave you in stitches, as well as, leaving you to feel absolutely gobsmacked by some elements of the whole thing. The National Theatre’s production of Suhayla El-Bushra’s version of Nikolai Erdman’s 1928 play, ‘The Suicide’ was such a barrel of laughs, but with the serious moments being on par with the funny bits, moreover, the performances were top-notch too.

‘The Suicide’ in this contextualisation is set in a rough council estate in London where we’re cultivated with Sam Dembe who is at present unemployed and is despondent that he is reliant on his wife, Maya and mother-in-law, Sarah for financial support whilst he is looking for a job. In addition to this, Sam has to live in his mother-in-law’s flat which is a major blow to his pride and due to the fact that his JSA has been sanctioned he becomes exceedingly bad-tempered and plans to kill himself. As he records a blatant tirade it develops into him becoming a YouTube marvel; as such many of the residents in the block of flats and the local area think that this’ll be the perfect opportunity to gain some notoriety for not only Sam, but for their own personal gain. Over the course of the performance, Sam is confronted with his randy neighbour, Cleo (Ayesha Antoine), aspiring young filmmaker, Gil (Michael Karim), Patrick (Paul Kaye) a documentary maker and Councillor Brian Dawes (Paul Aron), the high-reaching local politician who all think that they could use this as a publically videoed event of Sam’s suicide to earn themselves some extra publicity for themselves. As Sam’s popularity mounts and with a suicide party being held at hipster, Erica’s (Lisa Jackson) café, this is taking its toll on Sam and Maya’s marriage to the brink of utter destruction as she is madly in love with Sam. Throughout the show, other members of the community such as; Igor (Tom Robertson) becomes a highly successful recording artist so all in all the majority of people have been benefiting from Sam’s misery, on the other hand, social services worker/manager, Min (Pooky Quesnei) is repulsed by this and tries to convince Sam not to go through with it.  As the time approaches to Sam’s suicide and when he appears to have gone through his self-immolation, the kids from the council estate, Shanice (Chloe Hesar) and Demitri (Nathan Clarke) want their claim to fame too  and now Sam’s suicide has not only become an internet sensation but a media storm too which is covered by daytime television presenters. At Sam’s funeral, everyone appears extremely emotion which Maya doesn’t really understand their emotions as they didn’t know him all that well, apart from Haigi (Sule Rimi) and his son, Isaam (Adrian Richards) and at the finale it is revealed that Sam chickened out on his suicide and we learn that he had to take a breather and comprehend what his life is and what is important to him and this is his wife, Maya and is also disgusted by the locals who have been cashing in on his misfortune. El-Bushra and Erdman’s narrative is commendable as the contemporary take on how vlogging and the whole hashtag phenomenon has been able to frame how El-Bushra has re-invited a well-known play, furthermore, the gut-busting dialogue works wonders in soothing Sam’s trauma which is quite alarming anyway.

One found the performances by the company of, ‘The Suicide’ to be skilfully portrayed as the outlandish methods of people show us how appalling people can be as someone is experiencing their own plight, plus, the movements and vocals were very good as well. Javone Prince is excellent as central character, Sam Dembe; precisely how we can see that because of his jobless status, it is causing him to think badly of himself and as he is struggling to cope with his life at it currently stands, the only resolution for his own mind is to kill himself, then again, along the way with all these bizarre situations, he is slightly regretting the over-hype. Rebecca Scroggs is super as Sam’s wife, Maya; generally how you can see that because Sam is not actually thinking about how much it is upsetting Maya, we can see that Maya is getting annoyed that she is madly in love with her husband and she wants him to understand that even though his life isn’t that good at the moment she will help him get his act together and become happy again.  Ashely McGuire is incredible as Maya’s mother, Sarah; especially by how ballsy she is as she is not afraid to go full frontal nude and I mean full frontal in front of hundreds of audiences members who looked enormously shocked such as the young teenagers in front of me who put their hands in front of their faces, also she is vastly funny too and it comes across realistic.

Nadia Fall’s direction is wonderful here as she has been able to show how one man’s melancholy can instil a media storm because of some idiotic people who will use this as a way to get their fifteen minutes of fame, additionally, there’s a pleasing level of characterisations as they convey what society is and it’s not good by the use of technology and social media which soon spreads like wildfire. Ben Stones’ set and costume designs is astonishing as we are transported to the whole council estate that is crafted through awesome scenic construction and scenic art, likewise, the lighting design by Paule Constable and video projection design by Andrzej Goulding added an extra sparkle to an already grand design concept, I was so so awestruck by how lovely and stunning the design is. Overall, the experience of, ‘The Suicide’ was such an agreeable modernisation of a play that really suggested that people can be quite nauseating with regards to how people are when others are in mental turmoil.

'Show Boat' New London Theatre *****

Truthfully, we all aspire for greatness no matter what they are; such as performers who desire to become a big star in the hope that it’ll be a somewhat rags to riches scenario, nonetheless, these ambitions can be just a pipe dream and their careers will only lead to them strutting their stuff in small venues. The West End transfer of Oscar Hammerstein II’s 1927 musical, ‘Show Boat’ was an exemplary tale of hopes, dreams and the reality of racism and segregation, in addition to this; the representations were dazzling throughout this showbiz extravaganza.

‘Show Boat’ is set between 1857-1927 and is set largely on the Cotton Blossom show boat where we’re accustomed to the boat’s proprietor, Captain Andy Hawks (Malcolm Sinclair) where segregation has been enforced by Jim Crow. But there is a bit of trouble on the boat where a fist fight breaks out between engineer, Pete (Ryan Pigden) and performer Steve whilst on stage as Pete has been making advances towards Steve’s wife; as such, Captain Andy deludes the crowd that it is a melodramatic preview. Riverboat crapshooter, Gaylord Ravenal appears and instantly becomes besotted with 18 year old, Magnolia Hawks, a hopeful performer who is the daughter of Captain Andy and his wife Pathenia Ann (Lucy Briers), as well as, Magnolia likes Gaylord too and asks Joe (Emmanuel Kojo), the black dock worker on the boat for advice. He specifies that there are plenty more fish in the sea and when she tell Julie La Verne (Rebecca Trehearn) about it and like Joe, Julie says the exact same thing. She says that it is not easy to prevent love from occurring and states that she’ll always be in love with her husband, Steve Baker (Leo Roberts) and when Julie sings a familiar black song, Queenie (Sandra Marvin), Joe’s wife is surprised that a “white” person would know the song completely.  Over the course of the performance, Gaylord has taken over Steve’s part as he and his wife, Julie have to run away to the Northern states of the USA as the town’s sheriff knows that Julie is in fact mixed-race, but you wouldn’t know it though.  From this, Gaylord and Magnolia, now performing the role that Julie plays have proven to be a hit with audiences and because of their undying love, he proposes to her despite Magnolia’s mother’s objections, however, we soon learn that Gaylord is a murderer, but has never been charged for his crime, yet the nuptials go ahead anyways and it’s a lovely moment to see blacks and white uniting.  The years flow on by and Magnolia and Gaylord are residing in Chicago with enough money and have a child who is being schooled in a private school, unfortunately with Gaylord’s frequent gambling means he has lost all of his money and runs away from his responsibilities as a father and a husband. In essence, Magnolia, now strapped for cash to live on is reunited with Steve and Julie where they persuade a club manager to offer Magnolia a job and luckily enough he does so. Whilst performing one night, she is perplexed when her father is at the club and thankfully with his support the audience soon changes their reactions from jeers to cheers and due to this; she becomes a big star in the club and cabaret circuit. At the finale, Magnolia and daughter Kim (Christina Bennington) are back on the Cotton Blossom in a slightly frail state and when Gaylord returns to her life is re-introduced to Kim who seems to have been affected from the lack of a father figure, yet after a lovely embrace of a hug, a lot of issues have been resolved. Hammerstein II’s narrative and lyrics with Jerome Kern’s music is unparalleled as it is a rather political and social statement about segregating blacks and whites away from each other is despicable and how those determined to gain superstardom could have their dreams to tumble down.  Moreover, with musical numbers like, “Only Make Believe”, “Ol’ Man River”, “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Til Good Luck Come Mighty” they capture the spirt of the whole thing. 

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Show Boat’ to be remarkable as the vocals and executions of the dance sequences were faultless by such an energetic and impressive ensemble that were increasingly comprehensive. Gina Beck is outstanding as Magnolia Hawks; predominantly how we see that for someone bombarded by showbiz for the most part of her life shows that she is desperate for fame and fortune. On the other hand, because of Gaylord’s rejection as he’s run out on her, her life is falling to pieces and her vocals in “Why Do I Love You?” is a rather painful insight into her poor life. Chris Peluso is wonderful as gambling addict, Gaylord Ravenal; exclusively how one small glint in the eye could lead to him becoming instantaneously attracted to this woman who then becomes his wife, nonetheless, we are not overwhelmed when he decides to leave his family to fend for themselves and his singing in “You Are Love” is smouldering as he realises that he made a mistake in rejecting his wife and daughter as they did nothing to warrant that.

Daniel Evans’ direction is superlative here as he has been able to present an extremely powerful revival of a musical that enables you to fully get into the groove of the performance and with Alistair David’s choreography I was immediately transported back to a time where black and whites were not allowed to be in communication with one another, paradoxically not on the Cotton Blossom where everyone practically gets on with each other.  Les Brotherston’s set and costume designs is gorgeous as there is such an in-depth attention to detail in capturing the actual mood of the Cotton Blossom and Chicago where the scenic art and construction by Rocket Scenery was as beautiful as you would expect, also the costumes cannot be criticised either and Paul Groothuis’ sound design and David Hersey’s lighting design finished off a prefect design. Overall, the experience of, ‘Show Boat’ to be a resounding success and it is time for West End theatre shows to re-think their ticket options especially for younger audiences who could straightforwardly fill the empty seats no matter what.

'Kenny Morgan' Arcola Theatre *****

Some people have a lot of skeletons in their closet; especially with regards to keeping their sexuality a secret due to the fact that homosexuality was an illegal act prior to 1967, but an insight into the bumpy relationship between actor, Kenneth “Kenny” Morgan and playwright, Terence Rattigan could help us understand how hard it is to supress your sexuality and emotions. The Arcola Theatre’s production of, Mike Poulton’s new play, ‘Kenny Morgan’ was a momentous portrayal of someone who is on the verge of suicide as he can’t live with himself anymore, not to mention the executions were accomplished.

‘Kenny Morgan’ is set in a Camden Town boarding house in 1949 where we’re habituated with actor, Kenny Morgan who craves attention for some reason is rescued from two other residents in the boarding house, Mrs Simpson (Marlene Sidaway) and Dafydd Lloyd (Matthew Bulgo) as he’s decided to gas himself as he is in a suicidal frame of mind.  Thankfully, the gas meter has run out of money so his plan is unsuccessful and with a call to the GP, Mr Ritter (George Irving) he then looks through Kenny’s contact book and the first contact he sees is the illustrious playwright, Terence Rattigan; as such Mr Ritter calls the man’s home phone for him to visit. However, Kenny’s current boyfriend, Alec Lennox isn’t too impressed with Kenny’s behaviour as he is really in love with Kenny and due to Kenny’s attempt to kill himself, Alec is upset by it, yet, he grows jealous when Terence Rattigan makes an appearance.  Over the course of the performance, Kenny and Alec’s relationship is pushed to its limits as Alec is struggling to find acting work and he has been offered a meeting for a small part in a film in Birmingham, which he isn’t actually interested in pursuing, but Kenny’s attitude is making Alec’s decision a little easier.  In addition to this, the tension between Kenny and Alec accentuates where a celebration of a birthday causes an argument to occur; which in turn upsets both the men and after every confrontation, Alec resorts to venturing off to the pub and drinking heavily. Kenny who is in a pretty bad way calls Terence Rattigan for a shoulder to cry on and as usual, he is obliging and his neighbour, Dafydd comes to see how Kenny is getting on and is shocked when Terence enters the bedsit. It appears that Dafydd is a fan of Terence’s work and as an appreciation he invites Dafydd to see his latest play. Kenny’s partner, Alec brings his friend, Norma Hastings (Lowenna Melrose) into their bedsit, but as usual Kenny is annoying Alec and asks if he can stay with Norma for some time, understandably, Kenny becomes emotional by this and his suicidal thoughts are more prominent. Throughout this, Mr Ritter honestly says to Kenny that he is being childish because of his lacklustre demeanour and informs him of what happened to him in his homeland in order for Kenny to see that there are people in a worse off state than his dwindling relationship. At the finale, Alec comes back to the bedsit but with some bad news for Kenny where he states that their relationship is over and that he’ll be moving up to Birmingham for the film role, due to this, Kenny finally and sorrowfully goes through his suicide attempt and ends his life once and for all. Poulton’s narrative is cracking as we’re taken on a moving portrayal of Kenny’s emotional journey where his relationship with Alec has taken a tumble for the worse because of his attention seeking behaviour and it does hit home that even if you think your problems are really awful that there are other people who have tougher problems. 

One found the perofrmances by the company of, ‘Kenny Morgan’ to be mind-blowing as they convey the pureness of the characters’ own story i.e. Dafydd’s loneliness and Mr Ritter’s personal traumas as well as Kenny and Alec’s strenuous relationship.  Paul Keating is phenomenal as central protagonist, Kenny Morgan; especially when we see how emotional he actually is when it comes to Alec as this is the person he is in love with but due to the fact that he is an attention hogger he wants everyone to be around him conforting hem. Yet, I did like how his energy infused through his relationship with Terence Rattigan. Pierro Niel-Mee is transcendent as Kenny’s long suffering boyfriend, Alec; mainly when you can see the exasperation by Kenny’s unpleasant behaviour and this is only helping him become an alcoholic and to become distant when it comes to Kenny’s sexual advances, furthermore, when he decides to tell Kenny that their relationship is at an end it is a moving moment indeed as the two men are near to crying. Simon Dutton is supreme as the famous playwright, Terence Rattigan; essentially when he comes into the bedsit, you can see that there is an awkward tension that increases in time as Alec really dislikes him as he is also causing the relationship between Kenny and Alec to finish which for me is disgraceful, plus, as with people with money he comes across too aloof. 

Lucy Bailey’s direction is overwhelmingly good here as she has been able to transport us into an environment that is rather anxious as Kenny is the main focus of a man who is going through a turbulent time in his life and with the realisation that his sexuality is frowned upon shows us that being a member of the LGBT community in the 1940’s was not exactly a pleasant experience whatsoever and fundamentally bleak.  Robert Innes Hopkins’ design is out of this world as he has been able to grasp the dreariness of the Camden Town bedsit which in turn has allowed us to understand that the set itself has an underlying sadness within it such as the scenic art and construction through to the obscure presence of Jack Knowles’ amazing lighting design. Overall, the experience of, ‘Kenny Morgan; to be monumental, moving and excellent piece of theatre and from the Arcola Theatre which has become an admired place of mine.

'The Invisible Hand' Tricycle Theatre ****

Goodness gracious me, this year has been atrocious with regards to terrorist activity from all corners of the globe, on the other hand, in some countries terrorism has been ongoing for years and years and with money involved, the situation couldn’t get any worse. The Tricycle Theatre’s production of Ayad Akhtar’s 2012 play, ‘The Invisible Hand’ was such an absorbing plot where someone from the Western world is being dominated by Eastern terrorists as the skills this person has is much required, side by side, the interpretations were unheard-of.

‘The Invisible Hand’ is set in a dingy prison cell in rural Pakistan where we’re familiarised with American banker, Nick Bright who is a connoisseur in the Pakistani market has been kidnapped by an establishment in Pakistan who’s attempting to prevent a positive change and the group is governed by Iman Saleem. We see that Nick offers advice to his jail guard, Dar who states that he should use the supply and demand method in native Pakistan by earning extra cash by trading potatoes as a side thing. However, due to the fact that Dar has been in cahoots with Nick, it has agitated Nick’s captor,     Bahir, who is in fact a British Asian, he gets an idea that by using Nick’s financial expertise it could be a colossal benefit to the incendiary group. When the plan is offered to Nick, he obviously agrees as it keeps his brain working. As a result of the notion to Iman Saleem has been named on the US terrorism register, this means that this is unsettling news for Nick’s ransom of $10,000,000 as his freedom could prove quite tricky. As such; Nick with Bashir’s agreement that they’ll use the stock market in order to raise the ransom money and he’ll educate Bahir on how to manage the finances of the clique. Over the course of the performance, Nick instructs Bashir with the information available on the stock market and how you can use a simple laptop to hedge your bets and from this the money comes rolling into the terrorist establishment’s accounts. Apparently the money which is benchmarked to the inhabitants of Pakistan, the fraught atmosphere between Bahir and Iman intensifies. Nick, frantic to escape has devised a Shawshank Redemption strategy and plows his way thrown the damaged all and makes a run for it, and when he is captured, he is a pretty bloody state and has lost all sense of loyalty towards Bashir and Iman. As the US government are hot on their heels, Nick suggests that Iman invests the money in residential properties but Bashir is disgusted that the capital has been spent on houses for Iman’s wife and due to Iman’s lies; Bashir decides to liquidate his powers. Now Nick has no confederate and a phone call to his wife and child makes him cry as he wants to go home. At the finale, Bashir explains that with Nick’s tutoring, he has taken the whole Pakistani currency hostage and in that event, Nick has worked for his ransom money where he is released from the cell and now a free man in a warzone.  Akhtar’s narrative is standout as you can see that a banker who is mistaken has helped a radical terrorist group obtain the upper hand on the countries money, paradoxically we can see that Nick is a family man and there’s a little venom that comes from Bashir and Iman as they manipulate his emotions to the point where he is left in tears for their own personal gain. 

One found the performances by the company of, ‘The Invisible Hand’ to be extraordinarily poised as they conveyed the tense atmosphere that is increased over time and the conflict and alliances from Western and Eastern cultures which the tables have been turned in this instance where the Pakistani’s are in charge. Also with Rachel Brown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown’s fight direction, we can see that all the fight sequences have been worked to such precision that helps make us feel really uncomfortable and this is probable what the intentions are. Daniel Lapaine is magnificent as central protagonist, Nick Bright; generally how this innocent man has been manipulated into aiding a terrorist group with his knowledge and expertise, but, when he speaks to his wife on the phone, we can see how much of a family man he actually is as he cries as he has no idea on when he’ll return home. Sid Sagar is august as the prison guard, Dar; specifically how even though the character is a rather minor role, he comes across increasingly well as he does listen to what Nick has to express as he realises that as the country is not in that wealthy that he’ll be able to obtain some extra money to physically survive. Parth Thakerar is stately as Nick’s slightly petrifying captor, Bashir; basically how his motives may be too extreme such as the vicious beating of Nick, on the other hand, we learn that he is actually doing this for the best of the Pakistani nation, but his scary nature does come across very natural. Tony Jayawardena is awe-inspiring as the terrorist group’s actual governor, Iman Saleem; for example how imposing he is when he tries to keep Nick in solitary conditions, yet, when he is confronted by Bashir, his powerful nature quickly starts to deteriorate and on his hands and knees begging . 

Indhu Rubasingham’s direction is outstanding here as she has been able to show us how a number of countries in the Eastern vicinity have been completely bombarded by terrorist establishments i.e. Al Qaeda and now ISIS, furthermore, the concrete characterisations were compressively depicted and this is due to the excellent vision from the Tricycle Theatre’s Artistic Director.  Lizzie Clachan’s designs were gorgeous as the actual prison cell looked so harsh and brutal which is what a prison cell should look like in this country with limited resources available, in addition to this, the scenic art and scenic construction is progressively elegant and crafted to tenacity and ease. Overall, the experience of, ‘The Invisible Hand’ to be a current portrayal of what the world in 2016 has been suffering and this has been happening in drips and drabs for the past 16 years.

'The Local Stigmatic' Old Red Lion Theatre ***

A booming proportion of us are roused on what celebrities are doing and this has been the case for decades such as the 1960’s, per contra, sociopaths can take it to the extreme as the definition states that “a sociopath is a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme attitudes and behaviour.” The Old Red Lion Theatre’s production of Heathcote Williams’ 1966 play, ‘The Local Stigmatic’ which is fitting as the play is half a century is a show that leaves you questioning what precisely is going on, withal, the performances were greatly appreciated.

‘The Local Stigmatic’ is set in 1960’s South London where we’re introduced to two working class men, Graham and Ray who are both sociopaths  who spend each and every day gambling on the dogs, debating, quarrelling and reading the tabloid newspaper gossip columns. When the two are sitting down in a pub one evening, they notice that a well-known actor, David who is one of the celebrities that Graham and Ray have read in the newspaper. Similarly to today’s celebrity culture, they pluck up the backbone to acquaint themselves with David and as such; David welcomes them to sit down with him and from this the three share a few drinks together and by the end of the evening they leave the pub as a threesome. Over the course of the performance, we can see what triggers all of Graham and Ray’s sociopath tendencies, but what is most interesting is that both Graham and Ray are the true casualties as they’re living in a rat race bewitched with fame. Their constant gambling at the dog races means that as a result of the fact they keep losing their money as they don’t place their bets on the right dogs and it appears that they are some underlying things that may be going on with them because they are sociopaths. Throughout the show, their antisocial attitudes and behaviour emancipates when they are with David who they’re completely envious of him and due to this, they unleash their annoyance by getting some form of revenge on him. It appears that Graham and Ray are really trapped with their condition and have no way to escape or recover from it which conveys how advancements in mental health studies in this current age could have helped the men with their illness. Nonetheless, in the 1960’s there wasn’t as much guidance on this. On their journey, there are a lot of challenges where their condition leaves them to tormenting David to the point where they savagely lash out on him with no motives whatsoever. What is most perplexing is that Graham and Ray do not appear to be too bothered by what they have just done to an innocent man and at the finale, both Graham and Ray simply walk away from the situation and it seems that is another part of their mad lives and they venture of to another adventure on who know what may occur on the next stage. Williams’ narrative is favourable as the depiction of two sociopaths who show no sense of remorse at the cost of ambushing an actor who at the commencement were totally transfixed by; furthermore, the plot keeps you on your toes with regards to the tone of the language.   

One found the performances by the company of, ‘The Local Stigmatic’ to be shipshape and Bristol fashion as the mentally crazed characteristics looked so natural which means that nothing has been left unfinished as the South London accents were polished and portrayed the harsh and tempestuous era that was the 1960’s. Wilson James is fascinating as Graham; in particular how frightening he comes across when he turns on David and the condition has impacted on what his life has become which is full of an array of addictions that could cause him a lot of financial problems along the line. William Frazer is enthralling as the other sociopath, Ray; principally how different the intimidating characteristic appears with him and his eyes were quite scary here as this could be a way of showing who is boss through to how his body language of being a bit taught where he is ready to explode like a spring that needs to be let go. Tom Sawyer is fine as actor, David; in the main how unaffected he is by the fact that Graham and Ray come over to him to say hello which is some of the things that many celebrities have to face all of the time, conversely when he is attacked by the two men, you sometimes forget the fact that they are still human beings and go through the same things we go through. 

Michael Toumey’s direction is intriguing here as he has presented a long awaited revival of a 50 year old play that presents us with an awareness of sociopaths which to be honest I wasn’t cognisant of this, on the other hand, there is a balance from the threatening moments to the dark comedic elements which is lovely to see. The design is sparse as we can see the changes of locations, then again, I must commend Tom Kitney’s lighting design as the darkness suggests that not everything is rosy and that there is a component of the Kray brother’s in terms of the costumes but in this Graham and Ray are wearing leather jackets. Overall, the experience of, ‘The Local Stigmatic’ to be an increasingly interesting show about how similar fanatics in today’s celebrity culture is what is was like decades ago and a great insight into what a sociopath is and how they deal with it on a regular basis.