6 – 8 June
Scenes with Girls;
A visceral journey through the chaos of modern relationships, Scenes With Girls challenges our perceptions of connection and identity ★★★☆☆
Miriam Battye’s Scenes With Girls, directed by Alyssa Wint and designed by Annabel Edkins, artfully charts the tumultuous nature of modern relationships through its protagonists, Tosh (Martha Maloney), Lou (Alyssa Thabisile Sibanda) and Fran (Arabella Smith-James). Set against a backdrop of deliberate dilapidation, the play vividly encapsulates the chaos of youthful identities entangled in complex relationships portraying the ramshackle, volatile nature of its characters’ internal and external worlds.
Unfolding across 22 scenes, the narrative delves into themes of monogamy, sexuality, and the deep, often toxic friendships of youth. The dialogue, rich with emotional depth and trivial musings—ranging from “relentless cock chat” to profound revelations of mental health —paints a raw, unfiltered picture of their lives. The production’s intimate yet intrusive atmosphere reflects the play’s central tensions and the characters’ relentless pursuit of understanding, marred by a lack of self-awareness.
All actors deliver compelling performances, well written and wholly believable, capturing the vulnerability inherent in navigating life’s intimate challenges and the rollercoaster of emotions experienced in such formative relationships. The play’s end, both joyful and unsettling, critiques the sustainability of such intense relationships, leaving the audience to ponder the thin line between affection and destructive dependency. This conclusion serves as both a celebration of and a caution against the characters’ tumultuous journey toward identity and belonging.
★★★☆☆ Tilly Marshall 7 June 2024
The Nobodies
The Nobodies delivers a punchy, gripping tale of activism gone awry, mixing raw emotion and dark humour in a powerful critique of societal challenges. ★★★★☆
Amy Guyler’s The Nobodies, directed by Belle Streeton and staged by designer Annabel Edkins, captivates the audience with its swift, compelling narrative set against the backdrop of a community crisis. The play swiftly delves into the lives of three ordinary citizens: a healthcare worker; Rhea (Emily Hurst), a son; Aaron (Oliver Hatfield), and a young homeless man Curtis; (Sol Taibi), as they face the closure of their local hospital.
The Nobodies mirrors a Fight Club-esque narrative on a local scale, depicting a chaotic uprising led by Curtis, now a charismatic yet corrupted leader. Aaron, manipulated and grieving, spirals into darker behaviours, while Rhea, caught on the sidelines, wrestles with feelings of guilt and loyalty as she watches events unravel. This arc masterfully explores the thin line between activism and vigilantism, critiquing the darker underbelly of martyrdom.
The dialogue throughout is snappy and brilliant, keeping the pace brisk and the emotive interactions believable without being saccharine. Despite its strengths, the play occasionally veers into clichéd “eat the rich” narratives and could benefit from more nuanced portrayals of its antagonists. However, the performances by Hatfield, Hurst, and Taibi are a highlight, bringing depth and complexity to their characters and convincingly portraying their disillusionment and emotional turmoil.
The staging includes high-energy Zumba dance interstitials that seamlessly integrate into the narrative, maintaining high audience engagement and punctuating the drama with rhythmic bursts of energy. The lighting design is particularly effective, especially in a poignant suicide scene that achieves emotional depth without sliding into melodrama.
The Nobodies offers a gripping critique of power dynamics and the personal sacrifices inherent in societal change. It is a sharp, engaging examination of the cost of activism and the precarious balance between justice and revenge.
★★★★☆ Tilly Marshall 7 June 2024
photographers credit @ Craig Fuller
The Wardrobe Theatre, The Old Market Assembly, 25 West Street, Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0DF
