Theatre / Reviews
Review: King Troll / Crocodile, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Once again, the acting from both ensembles showcases real strength in depth’
Of all the pairings comprising Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Summer Festival of double-bills, this one would appear to be especially well-chosen. After all, Sonali Bhattacharyya’s King Troll and Tom Basden’s The Crocodile are both sharp social commentaries with a surreal creature at their core.
In King Troll, sisters Nikita (Nia Johal) and Riya (Diya Vencatasawmy) attempt to navigate the asylum system of an unnamed island. Nikita works with migrants, including Tahir (Orphin Kousseba Bakala), whilst Riya’s right to remain is under threat. Added to which, the sisters are in rental arrears to landlord Mrs B (Olivia Carville).
When Riya is asked by immigration officials to provide documentation evidencing her mother’s prior employment, she tracks down Shashi – also played by Carville – for assistance. It is at this stage that Shashi makes rather a strange confession.
Providing Riya with a big jar, Shashi claims there is someone – or something – that can help her. Later, alone, in the quiet of the night, Riya follows Shashi’s instructions. The contents of the jar birth The Fawn (Albi Dawkins), an initially bewildered and silent creature who slowly begins to parrot the sisters’ speech.
The staging of this birth is strong. Silhouetted, Dawkins writhes to the accompaniment of some unsettling sound design. Dawkins’ physicality in these early moments works well.
It is Riya’s journey we follow, and Vencatasawmy smartly portrays the gradual cruelty as her character moves from precariousness to working inside the system she once loathed.
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The Crocodile, meanwhile, begins with struggling actor Ivan (Oliver Croft) being swallowed by a crocodile at the zoo, and becoming a not-even-overnight sensation.
Ivan’s friends, couple Jack (Thapelo Ray) and Anya (Danielle Stevenson), react very differently to this strange situation. Anya transpires to be Ivan’s ex-lover, and now finds herself impressed by, and swept up in, his newfound fame.
This breeds resentment in Zack, and Ray’s comic performance here is wonderful. As Ivan becomes fickle and complacent, Croft brilliantly portrays a popstar’s hauteur as he poses for paparazzi.
Zookeeper Mr Popov (Dylan McLane), an emblem of capitalist exploitation and opportunism, is a joy to watch. Stevenson, too, is sensational.
As I mentioned, this pairing would appear to be something of a no-brainer. The problem – if it is a problem – is that The Crocodile is in fact an adaptation of a short story by one Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Whilst the cast of both plays perform very ably, a significant disparity in the depth and strength of their respective scripts left me ultimately wondering if their coupling was in fact a wise one.
I’ve noticed that these double-bills, perhaps purely for time-keeping reasons, tend to steer clear of true classics. Basden’s adaptation does fall neatly into the box of a short, contemporary script. But its original source material being the work of one of the greatest writers to ever live results in a scriptural lopsidedness that this festival usually manages to avoid.
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Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Summer Festival is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic between May 21-June 13; there are four double bills in successive weeks, with shows at 7pm on Thursday-Saturday, and an additional 1.30pm matinee on Saturday.
Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk, and shows are recommended for ages 14+.
Main photo: Edward J Felton
Read next:
- Review: The Étienne Sisters / dirty butterfly, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘A bold double bill that showcases some truly impressive acting talent’
- Review: Four Play / Meat, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Superb acting from the next generation of acting talent’
- Bristol Old Vic Theatre School prepares for its annual Summer Festival
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