I was kindly invited to review this show at the Camden Fringe by the lovely Ella Rowdon, who wrote and directed this thought-provoking play, which is co-created by Felix Brown.
On reading the synopsis and the delicate subject-matter it centred around, I expected a heavy and possibly triggering experience, but was curious to see what angle the subject would be approached from.
The Synopsis
5 friends of Peter King, who has taken his own life, are interrogated by an expert. They explore the possible reasons he could have made the decision to end his life and how these friends will be able to continue their own lives after the shock and grief of the situation.
It’s a fictional story, but weaved together through recollections of the stories of real people.
The show aims to spread awareness of suicide and mental health, particularly in young men.
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My Thoughts
This show was performed in the round, with just a stool centre stage as a prop, the actors entered the space one by one, some pacing around agitated before finally settling on the one prop, obviously this stool represented the seat in the interrogation room and the sometimes booming dominant female voice, (fantastically voiced by Ellie Reeves) probing the “witnesses” with questions, seemed to come from above, gave us (the audience) an insight into how the individuals on the receiving end must be feeling -intimidated, defensive, guilty and of course, grief.
The play highlights the societal issues of Male Toxicity and the social pressures on young people to have themselves on the right path.
We are all aware of the phrases
- Boys Don’t Cry
- βBoys Will be Boysβ …
- βMan Has to Be an Alpha and Act Dominantlyβ …
- …and the rest…
We raise our boys with these quotes and expectations and then wonder why they don’t tell us anything, the culture is that they don’t feel able to confide in one another, if they try, they’re usually told to “Man Up” – that’s a phrase I heard being thrown around to the young men around me, all too often growing up.
Add in pressures of social media and the comparison game we are all guilty of playing.
These themes were woven very well into the script, through a series of flashbacks and interview dialogue.
The various characters interviewed ranged from Peter’s childhood friend to his University Advisor, each shedding a more insight into Peter’s character and possible state of mind.
The acting standard was top-notch and I have to mention some outstanding performances which had the audience absolutely hooked and at the edge of their seats – these were Dominic Crane who played Callum, Peter’s best friend from university, Charlie Humphreys who played Daniel, Peter’s older brother and Hannah Wood who played, Leslie, Peter’s ex-girlfriend not forgetting the commanding voice over of Ellie Reeves a the Mind and Matter Expert, who managed to verbally dominate whole audience into submission!
The show is fantastically scripted and directed, I loved the flashback scenes immensely and the pace of the play was easy to grasp and gain an understanding of the varied relationships Peter had with each individual, they were a brilliant touch.
This topic deserves so much more awareness, and I personally find it a subject of interest, being a mother to a young male.
Click here to find out more about the show
At the back of the show leaflet, Wasp added helplines for support –
Samaritans – 116 123
SANEline – 0300 304 7000
National Suicide Preventaiion Helpline – 0800 689 5652
CALM – 0800 58 58 58
Switchboard (LGBTQ+) – 0300 330 0630
The Mix – 0808 808 4994
Thank you Ella, Cast & Crew for highlighting a topic that needs more discussion and practical solutions.
Thanks for reading!
Chanel x
Chanel Williams
ItΓs difficult to find well-informed people in this particular topic, but you seem like you know what youΓre talking about! Thanks