The mini-festival of theatre that is Greyscale's Theatre Brothel highlights some superb theatre makers.
Greyscale's Theatre Brothel has been presented as a way for audiences to see shows that will suit them as viewers and in this respect it can be hit and miss. It's also being touted as a way to re-discover Almeida Theatre and “see the building in a new light”, but the venue isn't really interesting enough to warrant this claim. However, in its essence, Theatre Brothel is a mini-festival with a fantastic line-up and in this sense it really shines as a display of brilliantly written plays and the best of emerging and established performers.
The idea behind the Theatre Brothel is to use a series of questions to determine which short shows are best suited to the unsuspecting theatregoer. I'm asked if I prefer, quiet or loud, domestic or epic, 'mmmmmm' or 'grrrrrrr' and my answers should reveal which pieces I'd most enjoy. I have my doubts about the process but I can't deny that in fact I love the shows selected for me.
The first is 'What Would Judas Do?' an hour-long one-man show spawned from Stewart Lee's creation of the same name. It's performed by John Paul Connolly who provides a hilarious account of the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus from Judas' point of view. With detailed observation Judas asks big questions about prophethood and scripture but he also relates the annoying habits of some of the more arrogant disciples, his doubts about Jesus' passivity, the need for revolution and a fairly straightforward discussion of whether Mary Magdalene was a whore. It's delivered with unrivalled enthusiasm, light audience interaction (including prizes!) and the multi-layered script is unsurpassable in John Paul Connolly's hands. “The irony of being called John Paul and playing Judas is not lost on me,” he says in the middle of the show.
In terms of displaying the best theatre makers out there, Connolly is a case in point. In highlighting his performance to an audience most likely to enjoy it, Theatre Brothel has us walking away with the knowledge of another fantastic actor on the circuit.
Short theatre festivals are on the up and Theatre Brothel follows on from the likes of BAC's One on One Festival, Cambridge Junction's Sampled, and Old Vic/New Voice's Coming Up Later. As a festival it sets itself apart with the major difference being its curators – the group of established directors, writers, actors and designers of Greyscale. They're known for being powerfully live, carefully structured, original, interactive and anarchic, focusing their work on a modern audience who are “bored of being bored”.
If Theatre Brothel is any measure of their capabilities, it proves they know good theatre and how to deliver it. From an audience point of view, there's certainly a great mix of excitement and trepidation throughout – especially if you have a secret code...
Image: John Paul Collony by Matt Humphrey
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