• 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
  • Tickets

Pieces- Rosemary Branch Theatre

July 12, 2015 by Verity Healey Leave a Comment

Review of: Pieces
Price:
free but donations welcome

Reviewed by: Verity Healey
Rating:
4
On July 12, 2015
Last modified:August 16, 2018

Summary:

the shadows are made explicit by Steven Mortimer's brief moments of stillness

More Details

A single chair, a few spotlights and a minimalist soundtrack is all Spare Parts Theatre need to convey emotional complexity through its 6 simple short plays centred on the theme of organ donation and transplantation. The starkness is appropriate to the atmosphere of the over all whole, conveying the often harsh realities faced by transplantees, their families and donors.

Screen Shot 2015-07-06 at 23.36.45

Steven Mortimer

On the face of it, the plays, directed by Peter Eastland, might seem simple enough and without much ambiguity in this one man show. Actor Steven Mortimer switches easily between irate and irreverent back seat taxi driver facing a cornea transplant in Damn Your Eyes by Michael Ross, to a small boy on the operation table pretending he is in Doctor Who’s transforming Tardis as way of coping in Robert Wallis’ inventive Regenerations, to mature father of a little girl without so much as a bat of an eyelid. Each play, each tackling different kinds of organ donation or transplant, puts varying issues under the microscope- the ethics of organ donation in Peter Eastland’s Giraffe, the torment that a little girl’s life can only be saved by someone else’s death in That Other You, the emotional complexity and shared pain that comes from being the rivalrous twin of someone you end up donating a kidney to in Runners. Emotions burn bright and the thematic shadows that surround it never quite go away.

These shadows though, don’t only come through the writing. They are made explicit through Steven Mortimer’s slight turns of head and paused still moments as each character, staring into the darkness, faces up to the realisation that themselves, or a loved one, might not survive. These moments, though brief, add an emotional weight to the seemingly chatty dialogue like nothing else can: death and the fear of death is never far away.

Honouring the idea that each play, representing different organs, comes together as a body of work, is Mortimer’s ability to empathise and get under the skin of each character. He displays a surprising understanding of and capacity to illustrate the innocence and fear of the infant patients and siblings. Yet he can reach the opposite extreme with his raving mad drunk forced to attend AA meetings or the crazy taxi driver who has a morbid interest in capital punishment.

Spare Parts Theatre’s last year’s offering, Being Patient, was a compartmentalised look at one couple in constant preparation for a transplant and the strains and stresses this put on their relationship. Since then, the themes of that play seem to have matured into something more sophisticated and challenging. For we are not just looking at the surface of things, or deep emotions, we are also asked to look at what we do to our bodies: how we think of them, our relationship with them (in Damn Your Eyes this is complicated for the taxi driver, his own self destruction, obsession with death and body disassociation is apparent) and what we are prepared to do to them in the name of life or survival or, as in Giraffe, its exact opposite.

Each play looks unnervingly at how characters constantly try to connect, either with themselves or others (H.E.A.R.T by Simon Lys in particular), each play ends with a trailing off into the darkness where no words can be said. None of characters are unmarked, either physically or emotionally, not even the children. What comes to the fore is how little we can experience their experiences, how little we can put ourselves in their shoes, how ever much we try: this, the agony of existing. Taken together, all six pieces form a holistic whole that contains multitudes of meanings. The stories grab you and take you in.

Pieces has finished its run in London and  will be performed at Serenity Cafe this August as part of the Edinburgh PBH free fringe. All donations will be going to the transplant and organ donation charities the company support.

cast includes: Steven Mortimer

directed by: Peter Eastland

writers: Peter Eastland, Steven Mortimer, Michael Ross, Robert Wallis, Simon Lys

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

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: Peter Eastland, Rosemary Branch Theatre, Serenity Cafe, Spare Parts Theatre, Steven Mortimer

Join the discussion Cancel reply

INTERVIEW / Silent Faces on Godot is a Woman’s first UK Tour

Silent Faces return to the stage with their signature style of playful and political physical theatre, interrogating permission, patriarchy, and [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Max Rinehart on The Retreat

We spoke to actor Max Rinehart about his experience working on the European premiere of Jason Sherman’s The Retreat at [Read More]

NEWS / Frozen Light celebrate 10 years with Sensory Symposium

The UK’s premiere company for adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities invites industry professionals of all genres and sensory [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Jenny Foulds on Life Learnings of a Nonsensical Human

Performer Jenny Foulds tells us about her forthcoming one woman show Life Learnings of a Nonsensical Human, coming to the [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Monique Touko on We Need New Names

We Need New Names is a defiant and exuberant coming-of-age story follows a young girl from the playgrounds of Zimbabwe [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • Katy Owen: Auditioning for Oxford School of Drama
  • Does Small to Mid Scale Theatre Touring Actually Work?
  • 5 Tools for Actors to Enter the Theatre World like a Pro
  • Inga Björn and Kristiina Tammisalo on Receptionists
  • Yasmin Paige on Actually
  • 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Reality TV Auditions
  • Joseph Grimaldi Clown Memorial Service
  • Spotlight On: The London Clown Festival
  • Lily Bevan talks about Zoo
  • Verity Healey
    Author

  • July 12th, 2015
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Facebook11TweetLinkedInEmail

    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 © 2023 · Blue Pie Media

     

    Loading Comments...
     

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

      Email sent!