Alright Bitches!
Above The Stag
22 January 2016
4 Stars
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Alright Bitches! is the debut play from Martin Blackburn currently playing at Above The Stag, London’s only dedicated LGBT theatre in Vauxhall.
Set in a gay holiday resort in Gran Canaria, Ollie and Jason have traveled from the UK for a much needed break. Flatmates Max and Garth are back with friend Pam for their annual holiday pilgrimage. Inner demons, alcohol and gay sexual proclivities give the audience plenty to enjoy and a few more serious issues to consider along the way.
As Ollie and Jason, Grant Cartwright and Anton Tweedale bring the younger/older relationship dynamic to the stage effectively. Jason as the older partner in the relationship looks at life in a different way to partner Ollie. He’s frustrated, exhausted and fighting demons that saw him spend a period in The Priory. Ollie on the other hand is young, his life is simpler and not tied in the knots that are plaguing Jason.
Lucas Livesey plays Max, on the surface your stereotypical bitchy gay man. Sarcasm is his natural defense mechanism, put downs second nature. Ethan Chapples plays Garth, the birthday boy who celebrates his birthday whilst on holiday and that birthday results in a realisation. It’s an interesting relationship dynamic, it’s not until nearer the end of the play that audiences really see the true friendship that exists between these two men. Both have realisations and with those realisations you really get an honest and tender insight into what has held this friendship together for so long.
Hannah Vesty plays Pam, friend to gay men who comes along for the holiday and enjoys a holiday fling with Paulo, She’s a confidant, friend and a voice of normalcy who eases tensions and is perhaps in some ways the plays conscience.
Even very early in the run the cast comfortably inhabit this production. The comedy is perfectly timed and hits the mark with bitchy accuracy, whilst allowing for pertinent issues to be explored without losing the audience along the way.
It’s interesting to see a take on the gay holiday experience at a time when such holidays are not as popular as they once were. At a time when they gay experience has emerged from behind closed doors, it’s interesting to see characters reactions to those changes.
Blackburn’s writing remains light and funny but certainly has the air of being incredibly real. These are characters that many in the audience will know. As his debut play-writing effort., Alright Bitches! is an enjoyable evening in the theatre. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Above The Stag are to be congratulated for presenting more new writers. From their original start in Victoria through to now at their new venue in Vauxhall, they remain one of the friendliest venues around and Producer Peter Bull and team keep presenting new and interesting quality productions.
Director Andrew Beckett keeps the pace lively and ultimately makes Alright Bitches!, a sunny antidote to the bleak winter here in the UK.
Alright Bitches! runs at Above The Stag until 21 February 2016
