London.

LIFE IN A SKETCHBOOK
by Emma Minihan.

Top Secret Comedy Club, Africa Centre, 38 King St WC2E 8JT
Tuesdays 9, 16, 23, 30 July 2013.
6pm.
Runs 1hr No interval.

Free entry (non-ticketed) | www.EncompassProductions.co.uk
Review: Tilly Lunken 23 July.

A bold collection of sketches.
Life in a Sketchbook, a collection of plays by Emma Minihan, is a bold project, one of the appeals of short play collections is the variety of works from different writers so it is to Minihan’s credit that there is enough here to sustain a full hour of performance.

The strongest pieces are ‘The House Hunt’ – with the relentless energy of Marcella Carelli as an estate agent – and the slightly surreal ‘The Sofa’, which closes the show in a longer scene – that at some level we all identify with.

There seems to be further life in this production, but I would warn the production team to carefully consider each venue if they tour. At Top Secret Comedy Club the traverse seating was not ideal and I had a stage light in my face for the entire show, which left me with headache and a distracted memory of most of the show. It’s worth remembering that the tech side of a performance is just as important as the rest of the production.

Cast: Jennifer Palmer, Jonathan Woodhouse, Emma Minihan, Andrew Miller, Charlie Limm, Sian Gordon, Marcella Carelli, Ellen Gauntlett, Sam Holmes, Christopher O’Shaughnessy, Robert Wallis, Francesca Amoroso, Owen Collins, Liam Elvish, Freya Parsons.

Directors: Jonathan Woodhouse, Rachael Owens.
Designer: Hilary McCool.
Sound/Music: Alex Burnett.

2013-09-15 00:27:29