Reviews

A large screen announces the ‘All-Hands’ meeting and our two presenters take the stage. James Schloeffel and Charles Firth thank everyone for coming, then attempt some fake small talk whilst others dial-in to the ‘Teams call’ or turn up late. Schloeffel and Firth must be used to latecomers, because they seamlessly blend their corporate patter with those unapologetically strolling in and looking for a seat ten minutes after the show started.

Alice is on the morning tram, observing her fellow passengers, colouring in their backgrounds – who they are, what they do. As she tells us about everyone else, it’s clear that there’s something that’s not being said. Eventually, performer Amelia Dunn admits it: she’s lost something. Her libido. It’s gone. She feels nothing down there.

Lyceum Highway by KV Adams, directed by Brooke Fairley and Metropolis Monologues Showcase #1- ‘Til Death Do Us Part by Louise Hopewell, Snakes and Ladders by Donna de Palma, Off the Grid by Maree Collie, The Most Alive Part of Me by Peter Farrar, The Night Market by Gary Helmore.

The presentation of every Shakespeare play continues with a mixture of tragedy, history and comedy, with a little controversy thrown in. The format remains the same - the only living performer being the narrator, whilst all characters are played by bottles of olive oil, cans of fizzy drink, or a pocket torch. The language is plain English, not Shakespearean, which makes the stories accessible, even if at the cost of the comfort and complexity of the Bard’s rhythm and style.