Fringe Online 2021
Don’t Know Him From Adam
Blue Fire Theatre
Genre: Drama, Fringe Online Theatre, Theatre
Venue: Online@thespace
Festival: Fringe Online, theSpaceUK online
Low Down
With the loss of Mr. Kemp, Nelly Power is in want of another partner. Holding auditions in the theatre there would appear to be only one applicant. Calling him new would be a stretch as he looks as old as a Music Hall joke, and with Nelly facing the reality of life she is forced to find a way of picking the only pick who felt worthy enough to be her pick by turning up. In a short two hander that sees him questioned, be evasive, asked for references, give a qualified response and sought for references, and provide plenty, many of them unsuitable, the duo looks like it has made the perfect start.
Review
This is an easy watch and over the 12 minutes or so, it does manage to tickle as Power has difficulty in finding what happens when she shouts “next” as wholly palatable. You can clearly hear the desperation along with the reality in her voice as Adam settles down to give an account of himself. It is far from satisfactory for a woman who needs someone to replace the hyperactive Kemp.
As a conceit for the stage this works well, and the script does give us a flavour of how compromise can often be the only choice left. Both Lottie Walker and Edz Barret manage to provide us with a believable interplay that would benefit from the rhythm of audience reaction. Then I am sure it would find its funny bone much more readily.
The performance in the theatre, in a treasured space, is beautifully crafted and the backstage area is the right venue for this piece. It is well directed with close ups mixed with long shots in keeping with the need to see reactions and the wider angles, especially with the speed of Adam walking!
This is another decent piece of work from Blue Fire but is definitely in need of something more lively than the character of Adam to provide the next level – of which they are more than capable of handling!
