Theatre / made in bristol
Review: Off-Peak, Bristol Old Vic
In a city with a long tradition of activism, and with climate warriors Extinction Rebellion dominating the headlines on a daily basis, a play that “seeks to understand the relationship between protesters and bystanders, apathy and activism” seems very timely. Unfortunately Off-Peak does not live up to its promise.
The problem lies in four words on the programme: Devised by the Company. A phrase that fills experienced theatregoers with a tremor of trepidation.
There have, of course, been many successful productions that start their life in group improvisation. But what such a devised show requires is someone (a director) who then strips away the things that are a little wobbly and someone (a writer) to bring structure and depth to the story that the company has devised. Sadly, that has not really happened here.
is needed now More than ever
Images from ‘Off-Peak’, the devised show from Made in Bristol’s newest young company Play the Goat. Pics: Chelsey Cliff
That’s not to say that Off-Peak – brought to you by Play the Goat, the latest generation of Bristol Old Vic’s youth theatre residency Made in Bristol – is a bad show. There are some excellent songs which meet all the requirements for a good musical (progressing the plot whilst revealing characters’ inner emotions and pleasing the audience’s ear). The scene in which actors tableau the photos which a character is viewing on social media is a clever way of addressing the question of how to present our modern screen-based lives in the three-dimensional setting of the stage. And there are some good visual gags.
But there is too much here that reeks of the rehearsal room. Anyone who has ever done an improvisation session knows that it can produce ideas which seem brilliant and hilarious at the time. But to make it into the final cut, they need to be filtered through some sort of scrutiny – and in this case that scrutiny was lacking.
There are flickers of ideas that merited far greater exploration, and time-filling elements that add little or nothing to the experience. The end product is a show filled with snippets which has no real message or purpose at its core. Sometimes fun, but always flimsy.
Play the Goat are young theatre makers, still finding their way and hopefully learning as they go. There is a lot of promising talent on the stage. But perhaps because they were also acting, the directors and writer have not applied the discipline and focus required to turn a basket of good and bad ideas into a show that speaks to an audience and has something useful to say. Because ultimately the purpose of theatre lies not on the stage, but in the auditorium.
Off-Peak continues at Bristol Old Vic until Saturday, July 6. For more info, visit https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/off-peak
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