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Spaghetti Junction
Published on Friday, 17 August 2012
4

4 stars

Bedlam Theatre (venue website)
Theatre
13-18 Aug, 12:30pm-1:10pm
Reviewed by Jane Bristow

 Recommended for age 12+ only.
 Free and unticketed. No pre-booking required.

Andi – spelt without a ‘y’ to show she’s DIFFERENT – is a quirky young woman, who has been unable to shake off her love of all things childish. These include stabilisers on her bike, dressing up in party dresses, and playing at offices. As she works in a real office it’s not surprising that she has problems fitting in with the people around her, and with the whole idea of being a grown-up.

The plot doesn’t have much to it, other than that she goes to a nightclub, has a one-night stand and then goes through a bit of an existentialist crisis. But it’s only forty minutes long, and the lack of a strict story line didn’t actually cause the audience to lose interest, mainly due to the surreal and frequently witty writing. There’s one moment when one of the four actors – who seem to alternate between being her friends and her conscience – whisper to the audience that running away from work on a bike could be ‘a metaphor’.

It’s enthusiastic throughout, drawing me in from the moment I was handed a party hat upon entering the theatre – it’s been a while since I’ve seen an audience as willing to go along with a joke. The cast were all very successful in their roles and lit up the stage brilliantly, successfully recreating a claustrophobic night club out of barely anything.

Despite this, the kookiness does tend to go into overdrive. For example, everyone moves by pulling their own ponytail in front of them – which becomes tiring by the end, and gets in the way of the pensiveness at the heart of the play. Feminists could also find a lot to criticise in the well-used trope of a heroine who, given half a chance, could morph into a feeble crazy cat lady at any moment.

Still, Spaghetti Junction is an ideal play if you’re looking for entertainment that’s considerate and thought-provoking. Ironically, given the theme of clinging to childhood, this is a group of young actors who radiate potential for the future – and seemed a lot more savvy than their nineteen years’ of age. I look forward to what they’ll produce in the future. For the moment, if you go and watch it, you certainly won’t be bored.

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