Simon Lee takes a peek at the latest fringe goings on at Pentameters Theatre
Hampstead’s Pentameters Theatre is one of the oldest fringe theatres in London and the latest play to take up residence there is Gillian Plowman‘s Me and My Friend, a play about four characters who have been released from a psychiatric hospital and their subsequent attempts to fit into the real world.
A recipe for some amusing scenes you might think, but Me and My Friend is not a comedy. Yes, it’ll make you laugh, that’s not the sole intention. It’s a play that will give you a glimpse into a world that many avoid and others only have a minor understanding of. Considering the content, it’s appropriately serious and incredibly dark.
The play opens on our male characters, Bunny and Oz, dramatically preparing for something that warrants suits. This something turns out to be a run through for Bunny’s first job interview since being released. The scene immediately puts the audience at ease and it's pretty funny. Bunny and Oz’s individual brands of craziness are the sort that are always going to be funny, even if I’m not sure that I should really be laughing. Naturally when everything goes wrong, the contrast is extreme. It’s a well written scene and actors Jason Carter and Simon Burbage are excellent in their roles as unhinged ex-patients.
Me and My Friend is a play of three parts, and part two makes the first seem like an episode of Friends. We’re introduced to Julia and Robin, the girls in the upstairs flat (also recently released into the world). Someone once said to me that extreme drama involving women is so much more harrowing and I’m inclined to agree. Part two reveals a huge amount about why Julia and Robin were in the hospital and as with the men, it’s quite clear that they really shouldn’t be out in the real world just yet. Not that they truly are.
Half an hour of screaming, crying and general craziness later, the interval arrives and I’m exhausted. Part three brings the return of the guys and I’m already at ease again. Simon Burbage’s Oz is incredibly captivating and even when the girls arrive, the amusing tone never falters, even though the odd dark flashback is thrown in for good measure. But Me and My Friend is a play determined to shock. The ending quickly and smoothly descends into a tone that leaves the audience uncertain whether to leave their seats.
The joy of London fringe is the talent you can come across. Me and My Friend is definitely out to deliver a message concerning psychiatric disorders and the way they affect sufferers and the people around them. Heavy stuff indeed. The acting however is what makes this performance worth watching. I’m incredibly convinced that all four members of this cast are deranged and unstable individuals, who should probably all be returned to the safety of their previous hospitals as soon as possible.
Me And My Friend runs at Pentameters Theatre until 27th March
Photo Credit: andronicusmax
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