Benjamin Goode enjoys a more than pleasant evening.
One of Theatreland's undisputed greats, Sir Peter Hall, once said to his MA drama class, “Everything that can be said has already been said so don't even bother trying”.
Now, I'm no great fan of musical theatre, and after a cursory glance at the synopsis of the six plays in Chris Bush and Ian McKluskey's Lost Soul Music, I'd be inclined to agree with Sir Peter.
Lost Soul Music presents two plays each night, and for this evening we're treated to The Devil You Know followed by Simon Says. The first is the story of a lady (Kristin Atherton) who recounts her life's choices. Having endeavoured to lead a life of relative goodness, she's assailed by her inner demons. The louchely charming and manipulative Alex Forsythe and Roxanna Klimaszewska both ham it up for laughs: their song and dance routines excel in portraying the physical manifestations of Kristin Atherton's guilty conscience.
Simon Says, a one man show narrated by the wretched hero of the title, is a modern day parable warning us to be careful what we wish for. From his late entrance – trilby-clad and umbrella in tow – down to his red socks, James Duckworth is pitch perfect as a man out of love with his time (“FCUK, the sartorial equivalent of dyslexic tourettes”) and hopelessly in love with the unattainable Rachel West. He is by turns hilarious, eminently likeable, and towards the end utterly pitiful as the story careens to it's tragicomic denouement. James Duckworth is a master of emotional and physical conveyance. He's even reminiscent of a... a... young Ian McKellen (not that I would know what a young Ian McKellen was like, but then again, neither would the person I overheard saying it in the bar).
Be it imitating his uncouth love rival, sending up his friends (one of whom bears a striking vocal resemblance to a certain past prime minister) or lamenting his sorry plight, Duckworth mercilessly captures the audience's attention. Lightly caressing it in the palm of his hand, he doesn't let go until a few seconds after he's exited stage right.
While the subject matter and the lines may be well-worn, it's the art of story telling that is on show here, and I am sorry Sir Hall but in this case I strongly disagree. It's not what you say, it's how you say it. While there are theatres like the Pleasance showcasing the work of playwrights like Chris Bush and Ian McKluskey and allowing actors like James Duckworth, Alex Forsythe, and Kristin Atherton to stand under the spotlight and shout into the night, then I, for one, am all for it.
Lost Soul Music runs at Pleasance Theatre from 23rd February to 14th March 2010.
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