Review- All in the Timing- CSR Theatre
9-12-16
Some plays are performed in grand stately theatres, the audience in their Sunday best, and on their best behaviour. CSR's 'All in the Timing' though, well...
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By Emrys Barnes
So I make my way into the factory building in Kennedy Town where the performance is to take place. Through a dark archway I go and into the old elevator, which tries its best to send me back downstairs. Perhaps it's possessed by some spirit (CSR are no strangers to spookiness, having delivered an immersive haunted house experience earlier this year). But I make it to the show and, in the eclectic room, it's hard to know what's part of the set and what are curios belonging to the owner. However, I am greeted by a very confident cat and a glass of warm mulled wine. Hurrah!
The performance itself is three excerpts from 'All in the Timing' by David Ives, 'maestro of the short form' comedy:
'Sure Thing' is a rhythmic piece, using repetition and variation, building on itself to create a running theme. This production is peppered with current and local references, which hit the tone well. Scott Bingham, playing Bill, is particularly strong, holding the comic pace of the scene very naturally.
'The Philadelphia' is less whimsical but has some good darkly comic moments and is cathartic in its celebration of messing up on purpose as a way to defy the universe.
In 'Universal Language', the cat makes a cameo and spends much of the scene hanging out downstage. Watching the actors communicate across languages is compelling and a wonderful way to rejoice in the absurdity of the spoken word.
This performance was billed as a less formal taster of a larger scale production to come. If anything they could embrace the informality more and feel free to explore more fluid or interactive forms of staging. It was certainly a warm, sociable and joyous evening and, as the company continues to build on what I've seen tonight, it promises to be a very exciting larger production in the spring.
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