Brighton Fringe 2009

Bite Size Monologues

White room Theatre

Venue: Cella @ The Sanctuary

Festival: Brighton Fringe

Low Down

Review

It would seem impossible to draw a correlation between the button phobic prisoner preparing for release after completing a sentence for brutal murder, and the upper class prostitute responding to the every need and desire of married ‘upper class’ men, clearly simulating the relationship she truly wishes to lead. But it is through passing and timely remarks that brings about the truth of these characters, creating an uncomfortable guilt complex for the audience who have been laughing heartily at the comedy.

As one of the main comedic characters, ‘The Producer’ hosts the monologues, including his own, flitting in and out of the production. Drunk yet insightful, he closes the play; offering a final but clinching explanation of the mind and mental illness that suddenly unites these performances. Here lies my only complaint, had this occurred to me earlier on, I may not have found parts of it so disjointed – although it is perhaps inevitable with this style of theatre.

The Bite Size performers do not shy away from making the most of the small stage, set downstairs in the corner of the Sanctuary Café. In particular, the ethereal character, entitled the ‘Chocolate Cream Poisoner’, who is taken over by love and desire for her lover and slyly attempts to poison his wife, vividly took the audience into her dark, unreal world through her movement across the stage. The lighting clearly reflects the setting and the tone of the nine pieces, from dim cells to art galleries.

The Bite Size Monologues is an ingenious piece of theatre, especially since they were written and directed by several different people. An awkward yet funny look into the side of human nature that would be easier to ignore, these snippets set the stage for some original theatre.

Published May 29, 2009 by VB