Liverpool Fringe Festival 22 review for VCT:

We are delighted with the review from ‘Opening Nights’ Kirsten Hawkins:

Review: Une Deux Trois

Une Deux Trois – Saturday 1st October 2022, Valley Theatre, Liverpool

Written by William Reid, Graham Williams, Francis Kenny & Steve Bird, Directed by Tom Mclennan & Steve Bird

Une Deux Trois was a three-night event put on by the Valley Theatre in Childwall as part of the Liverpool Fringe Festival.

 The event takes its name from its challenge to local writers to write and submit plays and monologues for one, two or three actors.

In total, fourteen short plays were performed over the three evenings. I decided to pay a visit to the only festival location outside Liverpool City Centre. So, was it worth the £17 taxi fare from the Arts Bar?

Opening the evening’s suite of four plays was Walking in the Air by William Reid, a comedic look at ageing and the anxieties associated with living on your own as an elderly person. Edna (Christine Murphy) is content with her life of watching TV and sitting on her sofa. The bath can be a little awkward to navigate, but what’s the worst that can happen?

Billy Roberts is the concerned son, overly zealous about his mother’s safety, who turns out to be a real hero. John O’Gorman stole the show with his humorous portrayal of several characters including a doctor, a care manager, Edna’s daughter-in-law and a sports commentator narrating the “Batholympics.”

Both the script and acting were sharp and witty and had the audience laughing out loud many times.

Special, a monologue by Graham Williams, was delivered by Paul Taylor. Paul plays Billy, a young man with learning difficulties recounting his history as a child who was severely bullied at school and in his neighbourhood. He experienced friendship and loss and was the apple of his mother’s eye.

Billy tells us these tales from his workplace: a churchyard where he plants flowers and keeps the areas around the headstones neat and tidy. Lulled into a false sense of security, we are led down the garden path to a surprising conclusion. As Paul narrated the ups and downs of this gentle soul, there were tears in the auditorium.

The blocking was simple with just a few props and Paul used the space well to progress the story. Paul is very adept at keeping audiences engaged during monologues and it was proven once again.

Dirty Harry by Francis Kenny was by far the funniest show of the night. A two-hander play that takes place in a shared bedroom at a writer’s retreat. Steve Donegan is Harry, a socialist, member of the SWP, former shop steward and paranoid conspiracy theorist. He knows his face doesn’t fit and he’s at home with that fact. He’ll keep showing up to fly the red flag and be a thorn in the side of the establishment, as well as of soft centrist types with names like Lionel.

Poor Lionel (Tommy Morgan) is the well-spoken roommate who’s forced to listen to Harry’s cynicism. Despite this, an unlikely friendship blossoms. However, their bond seems to be worth about as much as Harry’s principles when he unexpectedly comes into a lucrative writer’s prize.

All the action took place in this one room throughout the retreat. The dialogue convincingly painted a dynamic of the group and the personalities within (through Harry’s narrow lens, of course). This evidences how theatre can be simple and a whole world can be crafted using just one set.

Steve Donegan drew the audience in right from the start and kept us entertained with his incredible physicality, including some singing and dancing.

Ironically, despite Lionel’s introduction as an affluent, upper-class toff who probably votes Tory, we end up liking him as he’s the truly caring character out of the two. Well done to Tommy Morgan, whose versatility allowed the character to develop, changing the audience’s initial perceptions.

Dancing with Catherine by Steve Bird finished off the evening. Craig McGrath is Stan, who’s being looked after by his care worker, Katy (Gemma Knox). As Katy goes about her duties, tidying up Stan’s flat and making him dinner, Stan begins reminiscing – a melancholy induced by his whisky. He is spellbound by the memory of Catherine, a girl he met dancing a long time ago. From his own repeated interruptions asking “What’s for tea?” we can deduce he has memory problems. It’s not until the poignant finale we grasp how advanced his dementia is.

Both actors gave an excellent performance. Craig was witty, cantankerous, vulnerable, agitated and adorable in equal measure, while Gemma was delightful as a loving, kind friend to Stan. At the same time, she showed her mettle, taking no nonsense from him. Gemma had a tough job to work with all the props while always being attentive when not speaking, yet she was masterful.

The play felt a little long as it was a single scene and my attention did wander a couple of times, but the ending more than made up for it, bringing even more tears to people near me (so I heard. Ahem…).

The stage sets were simple throughout the performance with just enough props to illustrate a believable scene and bring colour to the stage. Edna’s chaise longue doubling up as a bathtub was particularly clever and showed great resourcefulness.

All the written pieces exhibited wit and were able to induce the full spectrum of emotions, from laughter to heartache. That’s a lot to achieve from the strict parameters set by the Valley Theatre, and I think all the writers and actors pulled it off. It was definitely worth the taxi fare.

And another fab review from Franz Fischer of Triple F Reviews:

UNE DEUX TROIS – VALLEY THEATRE – Part of the Liverpool Fringe ’22 - Sunday October 2nd.

I caught the bus as I have care for the planet. The 79 from the bus station. A short ride, I thought, but I was in the countryside, almost Bavaria, it took forever, it was dark and I was expecting wolves, bison and bears from some re-wilding project to bar my path to the theatre. A beaver at least. We trundled on, bumping through the darkness in the wheezy old bus until, like a floodlit nativity scene, the Valley Community Theatre sat glowing on the hillside. I stabbed every stop button I could find and strolled the 50 metres from bus to theatre in defiance of the wild predators eyeing me off for tea.

Into the bosom of the glowing theatre I walked, straight to the bar, and in the absence of Schnapps, I calmed my travel nerves with a handful of beers, one for each play I thought, or finger or even toe.

Despite its semi-rural location, the Valley Community Theatre is a little re-wilded beast of joy, worth every one of the 20 minutes I spent on the 79 bus. Seating around 100 in ominously bus like bench seats, with a good lighting rig, a good sound system, raked seating, multiple curtains and even a grand piano, it is a little slice of civilised heaven in the hell of the countryside. Well, not inner city at least. Anything I can’t walk to risks falling into the hell category. Countryside!!! Mein Gott!

After a short introduction and explanation from the very pleasant Mr Tom Mclennan, we were off into the first of five plays. My prejudices are such that, I will admit, I was not expecting much beyond terribly lovie style low level am-dram. Re-wilded suburbanites at play, but they grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and thrashed the prejudices out of me. Some delightful writing, some extremely good performances, topical subject matters and some bold concepts were all at play. And to my relief, it was not an all-white night, with two skilled actors of colour gracing the stage. Little steps, but progress nonetheless.

Household Hazards, by the previously mentioned Mr Mclennan kicked off the night in the closest we got to am-dram style. It was pleasurable, clever, funny at times and a pleasing way to begin the night. The acting from Sarah Woods, as Emily, and Darlington Dwyer as Bill was fitting. I have no great praise for this short play but neither do I have any criticism. It was fitting. I enjoyed it and it was a solid start to the night.

Next up, as Mr Mclennan again delivered his delightful “pre-play banter” and a couple of old men scurried around changing sets, was A Hot Dog on Bonfire Night, written and performed by Leonisha Barley. It was a familiar tale of the murdered husband/abuser/uncle/wicked aunt etc, but it was very good. The writing and performance were such that our suspicions were held at bay until we were able to celebrate the surprise demise of the devilish husband. The performance from Barley was skilled, competent and enjoyable. It was not without flaw, nor was the writing but I will be looking actively for any work from her in future. Although the program did not specify a director, I am presuming she may have directed herself as well.

A note to Barley, and some of the other writers/directors; don’t give yourself the problem of having to pretend you are doing something. Change it so you do not have to pick up or see something that is not there. It damages my suspension of disbelief. It is theatre we are watching, not mime. (I hate that French clown, Bip, Bap or whatever he is called as he walks into the wind.)

Out trotted the old men in black, funnier than any French clown, and changed the set while Mr Mclennan distracted us with his lovely chat.

Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think written by Tim Hemmings was a joy. A sedate middle class couple abandon respectability as they stumble out of retirement and into the world of contract killing. It is a lovely twist on life. Paul Taylor, as Peter, relieved of his often gruff characterisations, played against type as the frightfully nice chap. A real Mr Pooter. Lisa Chae, as Dawn, his obliging wife was a revelation. Her timing, wit and delivery were superb as she wielded her Berretta and shocked us with high manners and low violence. Her performance would stand on any stage.

The curtains closed for the interval and presumably the old chaps scurried about creating the slightly crazed set for the next play while I scoffed a beer or two and mingled with the city crowd re-wilding the bar.

Good Night Gus, by Marcus Clarke was the most adventurous play of the night. It pushed the boundaries of structure, format and performance, moving between farce, buffoonery and dance. Day Sheehan, as the hapless Sam, was tormented by his neurosis in its physical manifestation as Gus, played by Clarke. Charlotte Upton provided the voice of Ivy, and the company directed the production. Clarke and Sheehan are obviously talented and their view of theatre is intriguing, but in this case it did not quite come off consistently. It was good, but a very hard task.

The curtains closed, Mr Mclennan chatted to us and the old men darted about the place cleaning up from Good Night Gus.

The Envelopers by Sharon Colpman rounded out the night. A well crafted and tight script played well by the cast. It was witty, wry and offered an insight into the various strategies for coping with anxiety. Half the cast spent most of the time under the table so the direction by Sinead Renaye was good in not losing us. Eve, played well by Tia Hume-Jennings was the central figure of anxiety and she was joined under the table by Antony, played by Liam Rabbette displaying his comedy chops. Geraldine Moloney Judge was in command as the rescuing and reassuring Aunty Clare.

It was not a night of sensational theatre in the Black Forest, but it was good. Damn good, in fact, and a damn sight more than I expected. Mr Mclennan, his old men in black, Ian McMillan in the tech box and all the cast, writers, directors and others involved should be damn proud of their work. There were no weak links and it was good solid theatre.

It is almost impossible to give star ratings in a production such as this, but it went from two-ish up to four-ish at times, so with the approval of my comrades, we award thee three damn stars This three day festival is of great worth and I trust they will do it again and again, will Mr Mclennan and his old men in black.

Franz Fischer