Comedy | Get Your Coats On

“Slick and powerful”

Go see a stage adaptation of an indie film adaptation of an award-winning book they said. It’ll be fun, they said. Luckily, they were right. Popcorn Theatre’s “Submarine” is an undeniably enjoyable piece of theatre, whether you’ve even seen the original work or not – or even if you’re not a fan of indie movies.

Following the adolescent trials of misfit Oliver Tate, “Submarine” addresses themes of love lost, youth reconsidered and the nature of human emotion in relativity; if that all sounds a bit much, rest assured – it never feels overwrought or artsy for art’s sake, staying firmly rooted in it’s homely welsh drab and expertly weaved soundtrack.

Jonas Moore and Rachel Kelly are a tour-de-force as Oliver and leading female Jordana Bevan. There’s such palpable substance in their characterisation, it’s easy to get lost in their characters. Every physical tic and vocal quirk feels energetic yet realistic, aided hugely by a skilled, slick set of supporting actors. A particular favourite was Tom Titherington as the wonderfully ridiculous Graham, who managed to summon laughs up without fail every time he appeared on stage.

And the comedy really is good. Every punchline is unexpected, driven by the sustained, cerebral oddness of Dunthorne’s characters. But Submarine is also a show which pulls no punches in regard to poignant, emotional drama either. The scenes between Jill and Lloyd Tate (Catherine Prior and Josh Hunter) were often heartbreaking in their portrayal of a marriage falling apart – not with a bang, but with a disappointing slump.

But slump seems the right word to describe parts of this show also. Despite it’s strengths, it’s inescapably “indie”: meaning the often manufactured dramatic turns and heightened energy many theatregoers are used to just isn’t present. It stays at a high but disappointingly constant drone which, though it helps it succeed in imitating real life, also meant that certain scenes felt like they needed a little something more.

However, that does little to diminish the strong performances and time-tested writing underpinning a very slick and powerful show. The clever staging, the wonderfully implemented Super-8 footage and the expertly talented cast pull together what for others may have ended up being a tedious and pretentious spectacle. Taking no prisoners when it comes to left-field humour and commentary on the human state, Submarine is definitely a show with six full miles of depth.

—

Reviewer: Jacob Close (Seen 25 August)

Visit the Other archive.

THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED

“Likeable, effusive, hilarious”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars: Nae Bad

Upon entering the Pleasance Cellar (sorry, Dorset) the audience is offered a tot of sherry and a sausage roll to get into the mood. For me, in this, my third back-to-back show, this seemed like a dream come true. And indeed the dream continued for the first 10 minutes or so when Pelham, as village lady-of-leisure Vanessa Bluwer hilariously tells us about life in Kilmington, her noble employers, and the various courses she runs on a voluntary basis (everything from breast-feeding to bereavement counselling). As this character Pelham is likeable, effusive and strikes a good balance between prepared material and audience interaction.

Alas, after this the show falters somewhat, with a series of less well developed characters, too much audience interaction and little drive to keep the performance moving. Pelham’s Lord Ponsanby, a drunken country gent utters my funniest line of the show “I’m not homosexual, just bloody posh”, but falls flat after a few minutes and it’s a bit of a relief when she goes off to change again. Two of her characters are animals (a badger and a fox respectively, the less said about those the better), but posh school girl Primrose and yummy mummy Sulky Waterboat are both enjoyable, making fun of relevant stereotypes.

While some parts of the audience interaction in this show were great – getting various members to hold a hobby horse, read a letter and answer the odd question – I felt that on the whole there was an over reliance on this, and as the show went on there was a definite sense of awkwardness in the room, particularly among those in the front row who seemed to get “picked on” multiple times.

And just as the level of audience interaction was pushing it, sometimes her jokes also strayed over the line into being somewhat cringeworthy, the worst offender of these definitely being the one about the Muslims… hushed silence all round. Some gags were spot on tone-wise though: safer topics included politics and class, both suitably ridiculed, while even references to underage sex got a few chuckles.

Overall, I think this show has the bones of something that could be really special, but would be better if it focused on fewer individual characters, and having a clearer sense of narrative between them, to keep the show flowing from one scene to the next. A good effort.