Review: LUDS Short Play Showcase

LUDS does it again. An exhibition of talent from start to finish…

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While it has been the larger spectacles such as Oedipus Rex and The History Boys that have grabbed the limelight in this year’s drama calendar, Liverpool University Drama Society took to the intimate and slightly unorthodox setting of the Abercromby Square dining room to perform their selection of original short plays, and they did not disappoint.

Being honest, the Abercromby Square dining room did not give the best first impression of what the night was to offer. Chairs tightly packed into a small room with a pillar annoyingly placed in front of the stage gave the impression the audience were in for an amateur performance. Boy were we wrong.

Admittedly, this production did not have the flair in terms of props and costumes that you may see at other LUDS performances which meant the audience had to engage a little bit of imagination. However, this did not at all deter from the quality of the writing or the acting, which was perhaps even enhanced due its raw and stripped back nature.

Mark Tidy calling that cab

The showcase kicked off nicely enough with the seemingly warm natured play entitled ‘Calling a Cab’ which follows a doorman who takes the inadvertent role of a therapist, tackling the everyday ups and downs of the varied lives of his tenants. Throughout this piece impressive writing and directing by Jit Pal and Jamie Pugh made the audience form a truly heart-warming connection with the leading role played by Mark Tidy, who should also be commended for his performance.

The next play entitled ‘Charity’ took a slightly darker path to put it lightly. This piece follows a frail minded Christian housewife (Malelaine Smart) who is forced to confront the murderous and adulterous atrocities of her husband, eventually climaxing with the bloody death of the latter. Special mentions should go to Madelaine Smart and Georgiana Panteli for their sheer believability and brilliant rapport, as well to the writer Steph Dickinson, who somehow managed to inject a decent amount of humour into an otherwise rather morbid play.

Is is possible to chop off both your hands?

To follow was possibly the best of bunch, with an excellent combination of writing and acting. This piece entitled ’15 Minutes’ takes on a kind of ‘1984’ style dystopian reality (which is always great) where in short, a rebel to the cause tries to save two friends (rampant romantic chemistry there) trapped in a fearful regime. The plan sadly doesn’t end well with one of the friends (played by Chris Worral) nobly sacrificing himself to save the other two. This brilliantly vivid piece of writing from Liam Hale combined with the captivating performance of Chris Worral frankly made everything up to this point seem ordinary. I swear that boy should go pro. Honestly incredible.

Chris Worral and Lauren Stalker. So much chemistry.

Next on agenda was ‘It’s Just a Game’. In this Vietnam style ‘bag over the head’ questioning scene, rather than seeing the classic desperate shrieking and pleading you would expect, the wonderful writing of Alex Ferguson somehow manages to create a rather entertaining comedy. Special mention should also go to Geraint Williams who I can only describe as a cross between Mr Blonde and David Walliams.

Who said torturers had to be cruel?

Finally on the line-up was ‘Erebus’ which was frankly a bit of an epic. When trying to explain this one it’s quite hard to know where to start. At first it seemed to be some kind of ancient Greek style fantasy that was playing out in the mind of a child. A classic fight of good and evil, yet the good side didn’t seem that great either. I won’t try and explain the plot as I really honestly have no idea. Some kind of schizophrenic metaphor was the first guess. Nevertheless, what can be said is that a mix of intensely choreographic fight scenes and mesmerising acting, particularly from Shay Cooke and Mary Jayne Cooper made this an absolute spectacle.

Shay Cooke accompanied by his henchmen

If you want see all the talent LUDS has to offer, your last opportunity this year is on May 2 and May 3 where Best of LUDScribble: Sketching Out will be performed in the Large Dining Room, 5 Abercromby Square. Doors will open at 7pm, with the performance starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £2 LUDS, £3 general admissions, and are available from the Guild Reception (on University Square), or on the door on the night.

 

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