The Tobacco Tea Theatre Company is back in the Alma with a play written and directed by Christopher Cutting. Vitomori takes a wry look at our narcissistic, selfie-obsessed age through the eyes of a 1000-year-old vampire. This satire on social media certainly has bite, mounting a forceful attack on those whose self-esteem depends entirely upon the number of ‘likes’ they score, and I particularly liked the line: ‘PR – the modern form of friendship’. There are many well-observed comments about the absurdities inherent in our modern modes of communication, which frequently drew laughs of recognition from the audience. Society is seen to be heading inexorably towards a state of ‘super-sameness’, with everyone striving for the same fatuous goals. On occasion the writing is rather too heavily polemical, and some points that are hammered home would have been made more effectively if they had been delivered with a lighter, more oblique touch. Indeed, some of the play’s most engaging moments are perhaps those where the writer has simply had fun with words, such as when there is a gloriously silly sequence of puns about blood-types (I suppose one should expect puns from a satirist called ‘Cutting’).

There is some unevenness in the acting, though Costa Chard is very well cast as Vitomori; a languid, vain and seductive vampire whose insatiable blood-lust mirrors the way that Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat et al. have drained us of our individuality, feasting greedily upon our shallow obsession with ‘image’. Vitomori’s would-be nemesis is Nigel Carter, a vampire-obsessed nerd with an entirely unconvincing on-line alter ego called Van Halen. He has a penchant for reeling off endless ‘facts’ about vampires gleaned from dubious internet sites. James Williamson plays this role with commendable gusto, though the relentless absurdity of the character eventually seems rather one-dimensional.

Ofcom recently suggested that many of us now spend more time using media devices than we do sleeping. Though it certainly has some rough edges and uncertainties of tone, this play certainly responds to our growing obsession with such devices in an often clever way. If you are the kind of person who lives life via your mobile, you may find much to be amused by.  ★★☆☆☆   Mike Whitton 25/03/15