Squeamish Bikini
  • Home
  • Squeamish Features
  • Squeamish Reviews
  • Squeamish News
  • Squeamish Contact
  • About Squeamish

Operation Greenfield Review

24/10/2011

2 Comments

 
Picture
Cast members Eugenie Pastor, Clare Beresford, Dominic Conway, Shamira Turner
The Little Bulb Theatre has not been going very long and yet already they have high praise from Guardian theatre critic Lyn Gardner, calling the company, “Recklessly talented...insanely brave.” And she’s right. Trying to describe their play Operation Greenfield to a friend afterwards involved the phrase ‘you had to be there’ which can only mean one of two things; the play was incoherent rubbish, or the company was insanely brave. It’s certainly been a while since I saw a slow-mo montage depicted on stage. In fact I have never seen a slow-mo montage depicted on stage (but I have been in one). 
One of the things that makes Operation Greenfield oddly brave is that whilst the plot is set around a small (“yes we are the only two members”) church youth group there’s no snide undertone. Anyone waiting for a Dawkins style aside will be waiting a long time. Instead the actors revel in the innocence of four small town teenagers on the cusp of adulthood. Speaking to cast member Shamira Turner afterwards she said their director had asked them to investigate the subject of faith. Late teenhood is the second stage in life where humans are wont to become especially earnest.  Every decision you make at 16, you are informed will impact on the rest of your life. One false move and it’s over before you even hit 20. It’s just like George Michael said, you gotta have faith.*

The play follows the youth group’s band Funky Town as it grows from a duo to a trio (anyone who says the accordion can’t be funky is wrong, wrong, wrong) to a foursome called Vintage Summer, ready to enter Stokely’s talent contest. Although all of this seems to happen with no consultation of the band’s leader, he plays the electric guitar guys, surely that holds some truck? Yeah, you’ve probably met this guy too, whiney, bossy and gives in surprisingly easily after he’s given his speech. In fact all the characters are familiar, and the deadpan delivery makes them all loveable. The maths enthusiast, the French exchange student, the pastor’s jolly daughter, they’re all there, wide-eyed and darling.

Since its debut in Edinburgh I suspect this play has undergone a lot of tightening. To integrate live music, montages and a daydream sequence successfully takes crafting. To make it look so effortless and spontaneous takes, well, it takes more crafting. The only reason I wanted this play to end was so that I could discuss how much I enjoyed it. 

I saw Operation Greenfield at The Basement Theatre  Brighton. Ois touring this autumn, you can check the tour schedule here 

*this marks the first George Michael reference on this site. And it’s my site so it shan’t be the last.
 
Squeamish Kate
2 Comments
Tim
19/1/2012 05:21:25 pm

Great review, saw this production twice in as many week,s I MUST see again !!!

Reply
Squeamish Kate
19/1/2012 05:36:35 pm

Thanks! Yes I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see this company again

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    categories

    All
    Comedy
    Culture Vulture
    Guinea Piggery
    Music
    Nostalgia
    On The Shelf
    Popcorn
    Squeamish Transmissions
    Teevee
    Theatah
    Wireless

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo from Thegarbage