After The Applause

This oddly fascinating debut play by Jack Nicholls is a captivating spectacle that sadly lacks a captivating story!

This play was staged in the rather miniature space of the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs and whilst at first reading the concept and the ideas that were to be explored it felt like it may feel cramped or be lacking of quality in such a small space I thought the design team have done a superb job!

Set in the prehistoric times we follow a family who inhabits a cave and survive by killing animals and telling stories to one another. Jack Nicholls’ writes his debut play and it is full of whit and humour whilst balanced with a profound depth and message. Whilst it is set 2,000 years ago it feels as though it resonates with our lives today with its message of connection and human nature however it seems Nicholls tried more to create a play that had a moral centre more than he did an exciting story. Some scenes that explore human nature seem very long and confusing to follow, often not entirely relevant to the actual story.

The humour in the play is really clever though and the relationships between the characters are actually really well written however it is a shame that I feel like the whole story is sacrificed a bit and sometimes the structure just felt a little all over the place. That aside, for his first play this was very good and his material was brought to life with such brilliant design.

The set is mesmerising, a little hole pokes through the cave walls allowing light to pour in and create an eerie atmosphere. The costumes are clever as well, whilst the top half is that of the stone age they wear shoes on their feet and normal trousers. On a deeper level I thought this was to remind the audience that these characters are meant to represent something in our lives and remind us of our own family and relations, a lovely touch by Anna Reid and well in themes of Nicholls play. Additionally in order to bring the animals to life puppetry is used and it is simply remarkable as en elk bursts onto the stage rearing its head or as a little toddler runs around the stage. I thought this element of the design, crafted by Fin Caldwell and pioneered by ‘puppetry captain’ Scarlet Wilderink, was just exemplary and it really captivated my imagination throughout the play.

The performances are relatively strong too, these characters are hard to act I presume due to their appearance and nature being that of cavemen yet their dialogue actually being that of higher intellect. I think my favourite performances were that of Peter Clements as Adrian, the wise father who is reluctant for change and breaks into a weird dance routine halfway through the show to Boney M’s Rasputin ,that took me by surprise but was very much enjoyed. Annabel Smith was a ferocious warrior as Lisa, presented as the first caveman who developed a conscience and I thought Johnny Khan’s brief performance as Greg, who is referred to as a ‘shithead’ due to not living in a cave, was youthful and hilarious.

I must add, this show was incredibly violent which was something I was afraid would be done in an amateur manner however the fighting and wounds were very real. I though this violence was elevated to be exciting and interesting due to the thumping soundtrack by Asaf Zohar. This soundtrack was really good and very in theme.

MY VERDICT:

All together a really enjoyable production at the Royal Court. It is vibrant and visually stunning yet sometimes it seems the story was lost in place of a search for moral questioning by Jack Nicholls. The actors do a great job however are completely overshadowed by the set and design, I really think that this elevated the performance entirely due to how cleverly it has been designed. The Jerwood Upstairs is a very small theatre so having an extremely large puppet stampeding around the stage was exhilarating and true theatre magic! I would recommend this play for its design and enjoyability to watch however sadly the overally story is lost and certainly at the end it feels rather elongated but a promising debut play from Nicholls!