If you could read a book that someone else has written about your life, would you? For the world-renowned lead singer of a legendary rock band, reading his biography is a menacing experience. Gutter Street Theatre‘s High Riser is a staggering journey through a troubled life with laughter and tears intertwining throughout. Flitting from conversations between The Rockstar (played by Tom Simpson) and merely the voice of The Music Journalist (Phoebe Mills) to the patchwork of memories that The Rockstar opens up to, an emotional rollercoaster is packed into just an hour and a half of performance.
From reading the programme, I anticipated a Krapp’s Last Tape with some rock music chucked in there. However, the subjects of memory and reminiscence are lively and violent here. The Rockstar’s interaction with his own life and what has been written about it shines new light on the way he remembers things. We do not simply see his life, we watch his own understanding of his life and his own dwindling connection to his past changing before our eyes.
Leo Flanagan’s set design is simple yet busy. What seems like a messy apartment with crumpled pages tossed on the floor becomes the entire landscape of The Rockstar’s life. The guitar in the corner opens the door to his fearful childhood; the wilted rose on the floor is a portal to an abusive relationship with a heroin addict, nicknamed Trolley Dolly; the dozens of cassette tapes scattered across the stage are a new insight into The Rockstar trying to make sense of his past. What seemed to set a single scene was all that was needed for the entire performance. We are therefore invited into a much more honest representation of The Rockstar’s memories. The stage design perfectly suited the small, intimate environment in which we sat centimeters from the stage.
The success of the staging and props is in no small way thanks to the tremendous range of Tom Simpson’s acting. The role of The Rockstar is a hefty one—even a seasoned actor can easily become overwhelmed in this play. On the contrary, Simpson thrives in this role and is a groundbreaking presence on the stage. From playing himself at all ages to his father, his ex-drummer, to Trolley Dolly, there was no persona that he couldn’t take on. Simpson had the audience sniggering to themselves at his cocaine-fuelled session with his idols and then choking up with tears as he mourns his mother. Joe Castello’s Bruises, sung by Simpson, is a fitting song for an unpopular acoustic swerve away from The Rockstar’s rebellious reputation.
The only downfall of this play was the character of The Music Journalist, who uses The Rockstar’s cassette tapes and interviews to write his biography. We only hear her voice but she and The Rockstar play off of each other well with impressive timing. However, The Music Journalist is rather confusing in the way her character is written; she initially gives off the impression that she’s something of a journalism rookie—stumbling over herself and fangirling from time to time. But she’s writing a 600-page biography of a highly controversial superstar, something here doesn’t quite add up. The inherent dynamism of The Rockstar’s role chases The Music Journalist into his shadow when there was potential for a more substantial character. This was the only real setback in a captivating piece.
High Riser goes to show that the production team, the actors, and the company really get theatre, so it’s worth keeping one eye on what they come out with next. With Leo Flanagan’s Feathers making a return after a short run in 2020, we can hope that Gutter Street continue to give us half the excitement that we see in High Riser.
Words by Elizabeth Sorrell.
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.