Review: Fresher one-acts, ‘Flatmates’ and ‘Just As It Is’

The first night of Fresher Play one-acts presented us with two pieces looking at university life, and the troubles and tribulations of cohabitation. Flatmates, the first one-act, saw three people, […]


The first night of Fresher Play one-acts presented us with two pieces looking at university life, and the troubles and tribulations of cohabitation. Flatmates, the first one-act, saw three people, struggling to bear each other, and an empty room for one more; Just As It Is, written by co-director Alice Shearon, explored student living through the eyes of an outsider, the visiting sister of one of the housemates. Both plays shared more than just setting and theme though: both provided an appreciative (and packed) audience with great laughs.

The real strength of Flatmates was the relationships it presented. Individually, most of the actors struggled; together though, their interactions became realistic, gripping and humorous. Steve (Luke Shepherd) and Tom (Alex Carr) were skilfully contrasted, and the former’s over-the-top poshness balanced nicely with the latter’s withdrawn weariness. Both actors drew out their characters’ key features. The best characterisations, however, came from the girls, particularly Coralie (Mallini Kannan), whose rude uptightness was instantly striking and memorable. Tony (Mark Paul) was, on the other hand, sadly forgettable.

At times the play did seem to drag, but it hit more than it missed, and every joke was made the most of, to the audience’s delight. The set was brilliant; simple but effective, the main focus was a messy breakfast table, covered with open cereal, empty cartons and make-up – a chaos familiar to many students. It instantly established the scene. The lighting was basic, but this was to its benefit. Flatmates really is a good show. My biggest criticism is that it’s too short!

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The second play of the night, Just As It Is had a lot to live up to – and delivered. From the opening scene, it was clear that Lauren Maclellan, who played the visiting sister, was a brilliant actress. Funny, sarcastic and sweet, her performance was full of energy. Stephen Quinn, who played her brother Neil, should also be congratulated on a brilliant performance. The supporting cast was largely strong, noting in particular the amusing and charming James (Ben Bonci), but the play was let down by Craig (Mark Tomlinson). Although Tomlinson’s physicality was outstanding (as was true of the rest of the cast), his diction was a real issue, so that one had to strain to understand half of what he said.

The script was tremendously well written, and given that this is her first play, Alice Shearon should be proud of her achievement. Although at times a little too obvious, almost every joke was successful and appreciated. And written by a student, it is perhaps unsurprising that the play is set in St Andrews. The in-jokes, deriding the Lizard, the Bop and of course the ever-friendly toasty bar, were clearly tailored to a specific audience, and were well-received. Just As It Is also had an instantly recognisable stage, this time in a student living room, complete with posters and an airer. Again, this was effective, although there was an awkward moment at the start of the play when Neil and Lauren were at Leuchars bus station and sat down on a bench. Which was the sofa. In the sitting room they hadn’t arrived at yet. The lighting was more complex in this play, insofar as a blue spotlight signalled whenever a character was recollecting or having an internal monologue. Although this made sense, it did seem a little too cliché.

So like Flatmates, Just As It Is was a brilliant show. Both plays’ cast and crew should be very happy with what they have made, and will hopefully have a long Mermaids career ahead of them.