Theatre / Reviews
Review: ANIMAL, Tobacco Factory Theatres – ‘Funny, thought provoking and relatively ground-breaking’
Based on a story by Josh Hepple, Animal is a rich tapestry. It dives deep into adversity, friendship and platonic love. And it’s also about sex, primal urges and loneliness.
Christopher John-Slater is David, a 25 year old prospective journalist and part-time public speaker. He suffers from Cerebral Palsy, a condition that affects everything in his life. Key to the play’s subject is that it also inhibits him intimately. Essentially, he can’t ‘relieve’ himself.
We begin with David on the phone to a sex-toy manufacturer, complaining about a product which is malfunctioning. Though he has friends – including his terrarium-loving flatmate Jill (Amy Loughton) and his awkwardly inclined care assistant Derek (Matt Aleigh) – David is lonely. What he yearns for is a physical connection, and so he sets about diving into the world of GRINDR.
is needed now More than ever
Christopher John-Slater in ANIMAL – photo: courtesy of Tobacco Factory Theatres
The play then picks up momentum, treading carefully between heartbreaking drama and zany, camp comedy. It’s a hard thing to get right, and for the first half of the performance the cast pull it off well, paired with brilliantly designed stage projections (Matt Powell) which show us the messages being exchanged between David and his hopeful lovers. It is in these sequences that Animal really hits its stride, with the powerful emotional beats artfully interspersed with the more light-hearted scenes.
Slater is terrific as David, carrying the momentum of the performance with real umph. One liners are expertly delivered, and he is able to shift his emotional weight to a place of desolate melancholy in the space of a few seconds. It’s real acting prowess.
Christopher John-Slater, Harry Singh in ANIMAL – photo: courtesy of Tobacco Factory Theatres
Elsewhere, the performances are appropriately stirring. Loughton is very charismatic as Jill, and her confidence really brings her scenes to life. Jill is playful yet fierce, and Loughton delivers the nuances of her character with passion.
Harry Singh plays Mani, a very loving and flamboyant friend of David’s. He has a great deal of energy, strutting about the stage like he is on a catwalk and delivering cutting quips, often straight to the audience. His comedy is golden, but in the more serious moments towards the end, he perhaps failed to keep up the level of tension.
Christopher John-Slater, Joshua Liburd in ANIMAL – photo: courtesy of Tobacco Factory Theatres
Joshua Liburd is Liam, who at first is just one in a line of David’s hook-ups but soon becomes something more. There are some beautiful moments between him and David, and Liburd’s subtle delivery is a refreshing contrast to the more energetic characters.
I love the concept, and there are times when the writing shines through, making the audience question our respect for David – not least when contemplating his own morals. But that said, the narrative of the piece feels somewhat frayed around the edges, with the more defining features a little too hidden in tropes and buried deep in characters occasionally given to cliché.
Harry Singh in ANIMAL – photo: courtesy of Tobacco Factory Theatres
And while the second act delivers on some emotional build-up, it does feel a little draining, and could probably be tied together more efficiently (the show ran well over its suggested two hour run-time).
Without question, it’s an enjoyable production. The acting is first-rate, and the tech and sound design are faultless. But a play is as good as the sum of its parts, and I’m afraid that for all Animal’s impressive cosmetic detail, it is let down, to some extent, by its bones. Ultimately, performance triumphs over writing here. Undeniably, it’s a play that asks lots of important questions, but it neglects to answer all of them.
Christopher John-Slater in ANIMAL – photo: courtesy of Tobacco Factory Theatres
ANIMAL (age recommendation 16+) is at Tobacco Factory Theatres on April 12-15 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com.
All photos: Courtesy of Tobacco Factory Theatres
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