Take sixteen of the most talented students from The Theatre Workshop and the Hungry Wolf Visionary Youth Theatre, give them a stage, an optional wooden chair for scenery, and then get each of them to perform probably the hardest thing that any actor is required to do – a monologue – and what you get is Monologue Jam, the latest in a long line of sell-out smash hits for these incredible young people.
Each young actor takes their turn to stand in front of the capacity audience and, with either strength, depth and emotion or wit, intelligence and comic timing, (and occasionally both) they deliver unique and diverse performances that would make even the most seasoned professionals proud.
Many of the monologues deal with topics that are high on the teenage agenda, meeting that special someone, being called to see the Headteacher, unrequited love, Gran’s dementia, the realisation that you are gay and even dealing with your mother’s terminal illness but others deal with such diverse subjects as a theatre company that haven’t turned up, a boyfriend’s sudden death, a news reporter’s disasterous first live broadcast and even a woman who has trouble expressing anger.
The production is part of the (Brighton &) Hove Grown New Writing Festival, with husband and wife writing team, Rebekah and Craig Whiteley, showcasing their superb work in the best possible way. There are no “weak links”, no fluffed lines and no forgotten speeches because these words are not just written for the actors, they are written with each one in mind and every member of the cast understands and believes in all that they are saying.
Oscar Lloyd, Rosie Taylor-Ritson, William Robinson, Alice Kerrigan, Brenock O’Connor, Laurel Waghorn, Declan Mason and Lucy Alexander, all of whom have featured in previous Theatre Workshop productions, return with this company and, together with Marisa Abela, Jasmine Pearse, Eleanor Bulpett, Laura Loutit and Felix Brown they give the faultless performances that their dedicated followers have come to expect from them.
I have saved three more cast members for last as I believe that their performances in this production deserve a very special mention. With his splendid monologue on “How not to get aroused when acting with a girl you really fancy”, Roman Hayeck-Green has the entire audience squealing with laughter from start to finish. To be honest, I’m not sure that “thinking of your Nan feeding Pedigree Chum to her dog” would work well, but it’s worth a try!
Reece Pockney, at only 11 years old, also delivers a major highlight of the show with his “First kiss” piece. Whether it is because of his tender age, or the fact that we can all relate to his worries and anxieties about asking for, and then getting, a kiss from the girl of his dreams, he receives the loudest applause of all.
Telling the story of her character’s gay brother’s suicide, Evie Hooton is quite simply breathtaking. The emotion as her voice begins to crack, and tears roll down her cheeks, sends a wave of sympathy over the entire audience and, as she relates how he “just walked into the sea, even though he couldn’t swim”, the only sound in the auditorium is the sound of tears hitting the floor.
Firm favourites on the Brighton Fringe scene, The Theatre Workshop prove, once again, that they always seem to attract the very best theatrical talents in Sussex and they continue to produce, top quality, cutting edge youth theatre – for adults.
***** Five Stars