You never quite know what you are going to get in studio theatres. Main houses very rarely present completely new works so it is left to the smaller spaces to be the vanguard in promoting new writers and companies. Consequently, you inevitably get a very mixed bag, quality-wise. I always try to approach studio shows with an open mind, prepared to be amazed or leave disappointed. In this game you have to take the rough with the smooth.
Folio Theatre is a relatively new company and Unearthed is their first production. We favourably reviewed their second show, Reel Life, at the Ustinov in Bath on these pages last month. Apart from that, I knew little about them, but as I read through the programme, waiting for the house lights to dim, I couldn’t help raising my eyebrows at the company’s credentials. Most of them are graduates of top drama schools – RADA, Central, East 15 etc – and the writer, Alys Metcalf, is a product of the Royal Court’s Young Writers scheme. Impressive stuff, but what of Unearthed?
The play starts with 18-year-old twins Ben and Eliza climbing a hill to bury a biscuit-tin time capsule of their lives so far, a trip that ends in disaster when their father who has been struggling up behind them suffers a stroke. Jump forward ten years and the father has just died. Ben and his childhood friend/wife, Daisy, have been caring for him in the family home but Eliza has long since buggered off to live in Paris. When she returns for the funeral all the resentment and accusations rise to the surface. She wants her share of the estate but Ben and Daisy feel their entitlement is greater because they have spent years looking after the invalid. But dad, aware of the rift between the siblings, has added a last minute codicil to his will, a list of tasks Ben and Lizzie must complete in order to benefit. The tasks seem designed to reunite the twins by obliging them to re-create events from their childhood.
All good stuff and although there are serious issues addressed here, it is done with a light touch and one never feels preached at. There is a lot of humour too, especially when one of the tasks involves dancing on their mother’s grave. This is billed as a “developed” piece and while not quite making it up as they go along, everybody has an input as the play comes to fruition through rehearsal and preview performances. Nevertheless, it is writer Alys Metcalf and director Kim Pearce who must take most of the credit for getting this outstanding play on stage. My only slight niggle was that visually it could have been better. I appreciate that small studio spaces are variable and not always adequate but that is a reason for keeping things simple and uncluttered.
I was very impressed with the performances from the four young actors. Chris Ashby and Lizzie Stables (who is also the company’s Artistic Director) were excellent, believably portraying the love-hate relationship between the twins. I liked Alana Ramsey as the put-upon Daisy who has borne the brunt of caring for the father but who receives little recognition for it. Edward Mitchell played the young family solicitor who becomes a sort of friend.
Folio Theatre is a young, very professional company, with excellent credentials, that seems to have achieved an awful lot in a relatively short time. There is much to admire and great potential here. ★★★★☆ Michael Hasted 25th March 2016
