What starts off as a play you think will predominantly explore the extremes to which political correctness is taken – sometimes creating just the awkwardness and indignity it hopes to avoid – changes course and ends up shining a very cynical light on the soulless and business-only orientated nature of today’s entertainment business.
Signal Theatre’s A Place at the Table’s dialogue is solid and slick. Yet, these brilliant little moments are overwhelmed by the long-winded exchanges that go into much too much detail about the ins and outs of how the Biz operates – rather too much to take on board for the average punter who only watchesTV… and even a bit too much for someone who works somewhere in the business (yours truly).
From one writer to another: Jacob Dunn as Sammy (left) gives Christopher Tester as Adam (right) some friendly advice … Kellie Batchelor as Sarah (middle) takes it all in. Credit – Nicholas Pomeroy
Good job the cast of four was vibrant enough to keep us interested, each actor a delight to watch regardless of whether the script went through one of its momentary lulls. Christopher Tester is confident and natural as “the disabled playwright” Adam, with a great Benedict Cumberbatch-esque voice, too. Someone you would think has years of acting experience already behind him.
Kellie Batchelor – one of the company’s founders – proves she can play both the screeching chav (I last saw her as the village bicycle Cherry in Anthony Nielson’s The Night Before Christmas), as well as the more yummy mummy end of the spectrum as Sarah the TV executive who starts off wanting to change the world with Adam’s Disabled sitcom, only to turn into just another figures-obsessed media whore.
Jacob Dunn has tremendous presence and energy as Sammy. He is positively terrifying when he enters drunk, under the influence of “a litre of champagne”, and gives Adam a bollocking for not taking his advice to give up trying to get his play made into what would end up as just another sell-out sit-com.
Eva Tausig as Rachel is funny as the rabbit caught in the headlights intern, and then successfully makes the transition into the cockier, more knowledgeable runner in the second half – exchanging her Alice band for a Ramones T-shirt instead.
Director Robert Wolstenholme – another of Signal Theatre’s founders – pulls everything together wonderfully, with some great setdesign that includes an eye-catching gold BAFTA award replica. Tuesday 28th February was its opening night. Besides less than a handful of barely noticeable line fumbles, one would never have guessed!
Runs until 17th March 2012 at the Tristan Bates Theatre. Tickets £10.
