Theatre / Reviews
Review: Double Bill: The Britz/Codetta – ‘Bristol School of Acting is continually producing superb shows’
Yesterday evening, Tobacco Factory Theatres hosted an evening of original theatre presented by Bristol School of Acting and The Wardrobe Ensemble. The double-bill, devised by the graduating class of the ‘Acting and Devised Theatre’ BA programme, saw the class divided into men (The Britz) and women (Codetta).Having apparently forgotten their manners, the men went first.
The Britz is a riotous lads holiday with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart. The actual theatre of the thing – the scene transitions, the physical theatre – feel like the work of mature theatre minds. The show is fundamentally about time, about wanting to stay but needing to go – not unlike Jez Butterworth’s masterpiece Jerusalem.
Jake Janaway is captivating as Dippy, the apparent protagonist who guides the audience through the story. As Benji, Ben Lamb grapples painfully with his sexuality and its stifling impact on his friendship with T-Bag (Tyler Cooper). Cooper plays this role with sensitivity and subtly, winding his character’s arc towards a strong note of humanity. Lamb and Cooper both play their dynamic beautifully.
is needed now More than ever
The Britz, Bristol School of Acting
As Tubs, Toby Mitchell brings the nadir and central tension of the show. In lashing out against his friends, Tubs represents most prominently the ‘needing to go’ element of my earlier precis. Mitchell carries the tension wonderfully, and manages this emotional spasm and subsequent climb-down very well.
The brilliantly-named Forehead (Tommy Slade) is an especially interesting character, who is largely silent throughout the show before turning out to be in some sense the protagonist. Slade’s is a haunted and haunting presence, ravaged and silenced by drug addiction, whose heroism ultimately saves the holiday.
Will Maxwell plays both Bri, and, hilariously, Brian Clough. I can’t begin to imagine from where the idea came to have Brian Clough’s ghost visit the boys to inspire them, but how could it have been any other way? I loved this performance – Maxwell is a very promising young actor.
The Britz is a properly funny and heartfelt insight into the fragilities of boy-to-man-hood.
The Britz
Next up is Codetta, a punchy pop concert about female maturation. The show focuses on an earlier period of life than its counterpart; the characters in this are about to begin, rather than end, teenagehood.
Here, the actors bravely deal with the first flutterings of private sexuality, which often occur at around-about 12 years old. I say bravely, because despite this being the experience of very many people, I can’t think of a time I’ve seen a show with the guts to feature a 12-year-old girl having a wet dream. But theatre is life, and it isn’t meant to be comfortable.
Codetta (Gracie Powell) is obsessed with girl-group The Daffodils. Part of the smartness of this show is that it isn’t afraid to show its characters as more than one thing, and Codetta – despite her sexual awakening – is very much a little girl. She speaks on the walkie-talkie to her perhaps less emotionally mature best friend Suzie (Freya de Villiers).
The show begins in earnest when the poster of The Daffodils which (of course) garlands Codetta’s bedroom wall comes to life, and we are plunged into an hour-long pop concert featuring original music and choreography. The Daffodils – Harmony (Bryony Bishop), Dissonance (Melody Greenwood), Crescendo (Tess Morris) and Allegro (Winnie Atkinson Harris), are exceptional. The outfitting, songwriting, singing, and choreography are all great fun.
Codetta, Bristol School of Acting – photo: Craig Fuller
Powell’s performance is towering. She intuits the dynamics of the show, pitching Codetta with a perfect degree of naturalism to counterbalance against the brilliantly surreal pop stars with whom she shares the stage. De Villiers performs with exceptional integrity and sophistication; as a pure actor, she is extremely strong. The Director’s Note informs us that she also, crucially, cites Queen as the band with whom she was obsessed as a kid.
Whilst Codetta and Suzie serve as the beating heart of the show, it is The Daffodils – from the perspective of devising – that make the show special. Morris – who composed the majority of the melodies and lyrics – is superb, grabbing your attention and not giving it back. Greenwood is as brilliant as the Doctor as she is as Dissonance, leaning wonderfully into the hallucinatory strangeness of the show. Bishop as both Harmony and Mum is excellent, and Harris is incredibly captivating as Allegro.
This evening is testament to the fact that Bristol School of Acting is continually producing superb shows. And The Wardrobe Ensemble’s habit of being responsible in some form or another for brilliant theatre is, at this point, a truism. Both Codetta and The Britz demonstrate definite talent for theatre, and I can’t wait to see what these young artists do next.
View this post on Instagram
Double Bill: The Britz/Codetta is at Tobacco Factory Theatres from April 3-5 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com.
Main photo: Craig Fuller
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
