ADOAA SUPAS Review

"Having seen few of SUTCo’s performances before, I entered the Drama Studio excited for their interpretation of Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist – and the company certainly did not disappoint! From punchy and brash comedy to a poignant and topical message sewn throughout, the style of the show felt purposeful and consistent, with no cast or crew member falling short of the overall vision.

This vision was brought to life by the directorial team: Kirsty Lucas and Ben Sanderson, who used absolutely every inch of the stage, even breaking the curtain line at select moments, which I mostly enjoyed. Throughout, their dynamic staging prevented scenes from feeling drawn out and kept the space feeling full despite the small cast. I would like to give praise to the incredibly slick physical comedy, involving slaps, falls, and stumbles, which looked well-rehearsed and were performed with conviction; I do think with a few extra weeks rehearsal these could have been even more tight in Act 2, however. The scenes flowed well between key moments, conflict and hilarity, and there was clearly much thought into where the audience’s eye was drawn, bringing clarity to a sometimes hectic plot 

Sanderson and Lucas’s interpretation of the play involved making explicit links to the original tale of political unrest in 1960s Italy, through both an informative handout and explicit links to the character’s real-life counterpart via projection. These worked well to explain the play’s context to an ignorant audience member (such as myself) and aided their summative commentary about deaths in police custody. This statement felt bold and relevant, snapping the audience out of the insanity and giving us a cleartakeaway to think about at the pub afterwards. I hope the directorial team take a moment this week to congratulate themselves on creating a both entertaining and significant piece which the audience thoroughly enjoyed – well done to you both.

Dario Fo’s character of Maniac is a tough job for any actor, with reams of lines that are wordy and flit between thoughts regularly. Toma Hoffman nailed this role with an effortless flair, throwing himself about the stage regularly, with meticulously rehearsed physical comedy. He led the audience through his world of sublime madness, using a whole host of accents, (a special shoutout to the Trump impression – hilarious and terrifying!) though I would warn that sometimes his accents have a similar cadence and ‘shouty’ quality, specifically the Scottish and Southern American. Hoffman nailed Maniac’s serious moments, perfectly playing a line about scapegoating immigrants and minorities, which sent home the directors’ overarching message. His presence and energy were exemplary throughout most of the show, keeping the piece driving forward. At some points in Act 2 I felt his body language close up and eyeline drop, making me honestly wonder if he was getting a bit tired – I don’t blame him for this though, this role is non-stop and so much of the scene’s direction is led by him. I would like to pinpoint my favourite moment of his – the telephone monologue in Act 1 – in this scene, Hoffman perfectly shows off his precise comic timing, slick gesture and movement, and obvious talent for crowd work. A stunning performance which I’m sure will develop and expand throughout the run, very well done.

Matthew Heppell was bold and a fierce match for Maniac. His constant battle for sanity at the hands of Maniac was excellently played and he had great comedic timing to boot in both script and adlib. His reaction to slapstick fight sequences was well played and his voice gave rhythm and sense to the lines brilliantly. His northern accent created the perfect distinction from other members of the police force, though I worry about his vocal health sustaining this gruff shout for a week! I would especially like to highlight how he perfectly matched the energy brought by Hoffman in the opening, they had excellent on-stage chemistry and bounced off each other well, a very strong opening to the play. 

Supporting the opening scene was Phoebe Cookson as Constable 1, which showed to be a steady and reliable performance. Her quivering nerves were hilarious and consistent, she interacted well with the slapstick elements, and she never dropped character even when not involved in the action of the scene.

The second scene of Act 1 introduced us to two new characters, Pisani and Superintendent, played by Sam Bevan and Chantelle Winder, respectively. Bevan excellently portrayed a rollercoaster of emotions towards Maniac, from fear to fury and indignation to infatuation, the part was really brought to life. His performance also offered a different tone to the scenes, saving the scenes from sometimes bordering on ‘shouty’. Though at points this energy felt somewhat mismatched next to the caricature-esque Superintendent, he threw himself into the playful tone of the show, and fully understood how to use staging and direction to create some really entertaining moments.

Winder had the challenge of playing a raging and incompetent male senior police officer and she absolutely nailed it. Her physicality was effortlessly consistent, committing entirely to the tongue-in-cheek ‘macho’ vibe, as did her voice, though I hope this can be sustained without injury for the rest of the run! I found Winder especially brilliant at showing thoughts play across her face, trying to keep up with Maniac’s twists and turns, whilst maintaining a facade of intellect and importance; every emotion and thought translated to the back of the theatre and contributed to a powerful and memorable performance.

I would be amiss to not mention my MVP of the night – Constable 2, played by Eden Houlberg. She is the very definition of no small parts, just actors, as I often found my attention distracted by Houlberg’s hilarious little reactions to the main drama, peering over the shoulder of the anarchist, nodding along to the Superintendent, and becoming completely enraptured by the twists and intrigue of it all. Every one liner totally landed for me, and her wholesome optimism on stage gave another, different energy in the scene, which, like Pisani, added much needed relief from the intensity of the story. I look forward to seeing Houlberg in a more central role at some point – will keep my eyes peeled on the SUTCO socials until then!

Completing the cast was Barbara McLaughlin, as Feletti, the no-nonsense journalist. McLaughlin did well in this, providing an air of clarity and reason to the whipped-up frenzy that she entered to, becoming the ‘everyman’ of the situation, to enhance the bizarre hilarity of the scene. Her vocal tone was precise and measured, which mostly fitted well but became monotonous, and lacked light and shade. I appreciated much of her physicality and reactions to the other cast members, and she played indecision perfectly at the end, creating tension effectively. There were some moments that I felt McLaughlin could have had more proxemic awareness, such as in Maniac’s near final monologue, she stood upstage right, meaning that for a significant section of the monologue the audience couldn’t see Maniac’s face, lessening the impact of the moment. Though I appreciate this may have been a directorial decision, moving forward a touch would be an easy fix to do.

In all, the cast worked excellently together, with consistent interactions played up for laughs and effortless on-stage chemistry in their physical comedy and fight scenes. Though there were some mishaps, as is natural with opening night, they worked well to keep the laughs flowing, watching them have such fun on stage gave the audience no choice but to laugh along and enjoy the show. Well done to you all!

The actors weren’t the only ones nailing it, as the technical elements of the show came together very well, under the supervision of Producer Katie Carthew and Production Manager Autumn ten Dam. The timings were incredibly slick, as coordinated by Darcey Severne (Stage Manager) and Adam Rajczakowski, who showed proficiency in handling the set and communicating with other members of the tech team. Special shoutout to the perfectly executed main tabs – I have seen jagged curtain movements in previous shows in this space, but last nights show proved it can be done smoothly!

The lighting design in the show, by Eleanor Bevan was simple but effective, with use of well positioned pools, blue washes and warm toned overheads to represent the office. The flickering lights as the drama increased was especially successful, contributing to the mania and confusion of the situation. Projection by Mason Lugh was also used effectively throughout to convey context.

The sound design by Sophie Layton, was equally minimal but well done; the transition music was well selected, as was the various lip-sync songs used, and I was a fan of how this enhanced Maniac’s chaotic glee. At the end of Act 1 during ‘Bella Ciao’, the actors may need the stage monitors turned up a bit, as they were getting out of time with the song, and this may be due to them being unable to hear the music.

The costume design by Ella Hulford was consistent and fitting, with neutral tones, and ‘basic’ pieces being styled and used in interesting ways by Maniac. I especially liked the hair and makeup on the Superintendent, as it played up her exaggerated character style perfectly. The only part that seemed somewhat incongruous was Feletti’s coat, but as she took it off soon after entering, this wasn’t a major issue. I would have also liked to have a different hairstyle on Maniac – at times his fringe obscured his face, reducing the amount we could see of his acting, and his hair didn’t have the same timeless and classic look of the rest of the cast. Overall, the show was costumed well, enhancing the characters sufficiently.

Chi Nguyen’s set design was incredibly effective and hit the mark of being a flexible space which created visual intrigue via the window – the fact that this was in the middle of the stage felt especially critical to the set, as it created a natural balance and symmetry to the space. I enjoyed how interactive the set was, with drawers, boxes and bags to be explored and various items, giving an atmosphere of playfulness and visual intrigue, also creating opportunities for ‘stage business’ for the characters. I only wish that the bag the maniac used wasn’t a Tesco bag! This somewhat broke the timeless and neutral look of the piece, though was far from a major problem.

In all, a huge congratulations to the company of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, this piece came together meticulously, and the vision put forward to the directorial team really shone through in the choices made by the cast, crew and production team."