★★★★✰
This adaptation of Lulu Raczka’s intimate play Nothing—performed by
LUU Theatre Group—was an ambitious directorial debut from students Jess Payne
and Sophie Apthorp that really paid off. Nothing is an exploration
into the darkest corners of human memory, and is executed exceptionally by a
set of nine strong actors. The characterisation and attention to detail, that
each actor presents on stage, are captivating and really demonstrate the
professionalism and passion of the directorial vision.
The play begins by thrusting the audience into an immersive setting of a
waiting room, where we are introduced to a range of colourful characters. The
set and lighting changes are minimal, bringing more attention to the actors and
their miscellaneous collection of props. What I found most impressive about
this set of actors was that they were all as strong as each other and brought a
natural communal feel to the piece. It was evident that the casting choice for
each individual had been seriously deliberated on, and with great intricacy by
the production team.
Raczka’s play allows for lots of creative freedom, which the directors
experiment with. Each actor fully embodies every different element of their
character, allowing the audience to really resonate with the dark themes they
were explaining. These anecdotes possess themes such as sexual assault,
depression and porn—that were harrowing to listen to, yet very prevalent in the
society we live in. Each character is so endearing and made a visible impact on
the audience.
The realism and grit of each character are expertly paired with the
abstractness of the narrative, where each individual story is threaded into the
other through seamless transitions. The intimate and immersive nature of the
piece transports the audience into the psyches of all the characters, allowing
us to fully digest the intricacies of the feelings and emotions they were
expressing. In conversation with both directors, I discovered that this
adaptation and manipulation of the original script had been curated by both
Payne and Apthorp personally, which I thought was an extremely impressive
example of scriptwriting.
My only critic of this performance is that the ending
is slightly unimpactful and a bit disjointed. Further use of the chorus style speech
would have made the final section of dialogue more poignant and last longer in
the audience’s minds. This could have also been achieved with potentially all
of the characters having one final moment at the end to reestablish the ensemble
feel of the piece.
Overall, Nothing was one of the best pieces of student theatre I
have seen in some time. I was insanely impressed by the sheer amount of talent
on stage and how every story was brought to life with such realism and
relatability. For a directorial debut, the show is produced with such
professionalism and indicates a bright future ahead in the theatre world for
both directors and the cast in its entirety. My commendations go to the production
team for producing such a sleek production. There really is ‘Nothing’
better than this performance!
Words by Hannah Rooney
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