REVIEW: Personals, Landor Theatre ✭✭✭✭

Nothing To Do With Love - The Cast Of Personals Personals The Landor, Clapham 6th August 2015

4 Stars

Personals, a comedy musical about finding love through lonely hearts columns, was first performed in 1985, and technology has rendered it an unintentional period piece. I feared that the ubiquity of dating websites and applications might make the production rather old fashioned, but my doubts were misplaced. Ain’t No Other Productions’ heartfelt and joyous revival demonstrated just what an unsung gem Personals is. I found myself captivated as their rendition explored the timelessly bewildering process of attempting to form intimate connections with strangers, highlighting the vulnerability of its characters to both hilarious and poignant effect. With a book co-written by the creators of Friends, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, comparisons with the sitcom are to be expected. Indeed, the production’s advertising anticipates this by adopting Friends’ distinctive font for the show’s title. Yet, apart from an ensemble cast of three girls and three guys, there is little to compare the two. The six actors each play a variety of roles, including one throughline character. Sam (Patrick Barrett) and Claire (Lauren Nevin) are romantically entangled next door neighbours whose neuroses prevent them from speaking from the heart, whilst Louis (Matthew Chase) and Louise’s (Rebecca Westberry) reliance on interactive tapes for dating advice results in a fraught and speedy courtship. Kim (Rebecca Gilliland) and Typesetter (Robert Bannon) have standalone stories. The former tentatively starts dating again after her marriage breaks down, whilst the latter writes a joke advertisement to irritate his wife, and consequently finds himself in a ménage a trois with her and a bisexual dwarf.

The central narratives are interspersed with comic vignettes and songs, including Westberry’s hysterical dating agency videos and the staggeringly funny ‘Second Grade’, where the three guys sing about how life would be easier if they behaved like eight year olds. Such sequences entertainingly inform the audience’s perception of dating behaviours. In turn, they offer a counterpoint to the philosophical plot threads, which address the dichotomy between characters’ desires and their actions. ‘Moving in with Linda’ is a particularly enjoyable example; we see Sam excitedly preparing to live with his new girlfriend, only to be harangued by the memories of former lovers.

Matthew Chase, Robert Bannon and Patrick Barrett singing Second Grade

Kim’s story is undoubtedly the most powerful, due to the completeness of the tale and Rebecca Gilliland’s passionate and heartrending performance. ‘I Think You Should Know’ takes us through her attempts to form a sexual connection with a man she met hours before, as she realises that she is still in love with her ex. This emotional journey concludes with ‘Michael’, an energetic and fearful song which has her rehearse a plea for him to take her back, and break down as her speech become more desperate. The other narratives feel disjointed by comparison. Louis and Louise stand out as two dimensional characters in an otherwise excellent book, and the believability of Sam and Claire’s passion for each other relies heavily on Barrett and Nevin’s outstanding chemistry. The Typesetter’s oddly sweet tale is the most striking example. He concludes that love comes in many forms, but as his wife and lover remain unseen we must fully suspend our disbelief. Furthermore, the moral is undermined by a comparable vignette in which a polyamorous man cheats on his spouses with a group of people from work, turning these unconventional lifestyles into something of a punchline.

The occasional oddities were more than compensated for by the universally strong performances, expertly aided by Marcelo Cervone and Reuben Stone’s musical accompaniment. The cast’s extraordinary range of American accents, which never faltered as they sang, helped lend an immersive atmosphere to a very intimate show - the stage and minimal set were just feet away from the back row. Not only were you gripped by characters laying themselves bare on stage, but the facial tics of one-shot characters – a particular talent of Robert Bannon’s - could be experienced to their joyous full. Cameron Hall’s memorable choreography, at its best during the chaotic ‘Second Grade’ and the enigmatic ‘I Could Always Go To You’, spoke of characters’ passions bubbling up from under their surface. The latter song, an ostensibly light hearted insight into Claire and Louise’s ill-fated resolution that life would be simpler if they dated each other, was particularly intriguing. The negative change in attitude that they share as they embark on this relationship is beautifully emulated by their body language as they follow each other around the stage. By uneasily mirroring each other, they at once demonstrate their bond and the hilarious fallibility of their pledge – an admirably subtle moment in a shaggy dog story.

With its tremendously talented cast and an excellent score, Personals made for a thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking evening. I sincerely hope that Ain’t No Other Productions has the opportunity to revive this show in the near future. Personals runs at the Landor Theatre until Sunday 9th August 2015