• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides
  • Ed Fringe

Beached- Soho Theatre

November 7, 2014 by Verity Healey Leave a Comment

Review of: Beached
Price:
£15/ £12.50

Reviewed by: Verity Healey
Rating:
3
On November 7, 2014
Last modified:November 7, 2014

Summary:

James Dryden delivers a witty and versatile five star performance in Melissa Bubnic's Beached

More Details

Chronically overweight? Can’t go to the toilet by yourself? Then Channel 4 esque fly on the wall documentary seeking to pay your gastric surgery operation Shocking Fat Stories wants to hear from you.

B

James Dryden as Arty, photo credit Tim Stubbings

That’s the prevailing narrative theme of Beached by Melissa Bubnic and Marlowe Theatre’s first production directed energetically by Justin Audibert and just opening at Soho Theatre. James Dryden plays the hapless binge eating 19 year old Arty who has not left his room for three years and over eats because its his only chance of happiness and now, as a last gasp at rescuing his life and integrity, is the subject of Shocking Fat Stories, whose seemingly compassionate producer, played by Rhoda Ofori- Attah, masks a manipulative woman who relentlessly pursues and imposes her social agenda on Arty and his proud seemingly working class mother JoJo, humorously sketched out by Robin Weaver. Joined by Louise (Alison O’Donnell) from the job centre’s Pathways to Work Scheme and we look set for a heart felt liberal left comedy on the ruthlessness and incomprehension of far right Tory government officials and uncompassionate day time TV producers on the make.

But surprisingly Beached fails to follow those routes and instead gives us a lesson in the real attributes of love and perceptions of identity. Arty doesn’t care about his weight because in his head anything can happen- from eventful adventures with Pedro the action man in gangster Rio to just plain old visceral enjoyment of words like ‘intrepid’ and ‘epitome’. Arty has an imaginative inner life (rather let down in the play’s conclusion -or is it his saving grace? you decide) and it is instead those around him who live in a constant state of morbidity over his condition and disappointment that he is not who they want him to be. Yes, rather contradictorily, we have the clichés of a manipulative mother who keeps her son in a dependent state just so she can hold her life together and does her best to prevent him from having the crucial operation that will take him away from her. Yes we see a civil servant for whom Arty is just a statistic or an opportunity to gain points at the office. But despite some of the many curious oddly compelling crudities such as ‘can you reach your penis under your stomach in order to masturbate’ the true and rather singular message actually concerns the role of compassion- which Arty mistakenly believes is physical and ever lasting running off into the sunset romantic love. But his falling in love hides other messages within the play and serves to give him developmental journeys that makes his painful experiences all the more worthwhile. One thing to take away from this comedy is the true nature of love and compassion and the message that it can’t always be held onto, although its gifts can be everlasting.

Some good performances all round but especially from James Dryden whose witty, tongue in cheek and versatile performance wins over the audience almost instantaneously, Beached is a curious laugh- comedy with some serious undertones.

Beached runs at 75 mins, book here

Cast

Arty                        James Dryden

Louise                   Alison O’Donnell

Producer              Rhoda Ofori-Attah

JoJo                      Robin Weaver

Director                  Justin Audibert

Designer                 Lilly Arnold

Lighting Designer Andy Purves

Music and Sound Richard Hammarton

Verity Healey

Author: Verity Healey

I write about theatre, I write short stories/ poetry www.verityhealey.blogspot.com, I also sometimes make films.

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: Beached, James Dryden, Justin Audibert, Melissa Bubnic, Soho Theatre

Join the discussion Cancel reply

NEWS / Living Record Festival of digital arts announces programme

Living Record Festival is a month-long Digital Arts Festival curating and presenting over 40 original pieces from a range of [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Open Bar on A ChristMESS CAROL

Tell us about Open Bar Theatre and also how you came about and how the name came about. OBT: Open Bar [Read More]

NEWS / Ayomide Adegun awarded The Luke Westlake Scholarship 2020

22 year old South Londoner Ayomide Adegun is currently in his 2nd year of the BA Acting course at Royal [Read More]

NEWS / Late Night Staring at High Res Pixels announced

A new play repurposed for online viewing from the creative team behind Scrounger, and the first of the Finborough Theatre’s [Read More]

NEWS / Crimes Against Christmas becomes an audio advent calendar

Typically at this time of year theatre company New Old Friends would have just finished an Autumn tour and be [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Reality TV Auditions
  • Writing the Perfect Press Release
  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • Katy Owen: Auditioning for Oxford School of Drama
  • Katy Owen: LAMDA Audition (First Round)
  • Boudica at Shakespeare's Globe
  • A Streetcar Named Desire- A cry of pain- Young Vic
  • Forced Entertainment announce new award in memory of Huw Chadbourn
  • Katy Owen: How to Apply to Drama Schools*
  • How to Applying for Arts Grants and Funding
  • Verity Healey

    Verity Healey
    Author

  • November 7th, 2014
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail

    Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2021 · Blue Pie Media

    Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

    Email sent!