Part immersive theatre, part play, part musical, part poetry slam, part gig. TEDDY will be many things to many people.The Vaults at Waterloo play host to this revival of Southwark Playhouse’s 2015 production which has been touring around the country entertaining audiences with its lively rockabilly tunes delivered by the onstage band which doubles as Johnny Valentine and the Broken Hearts within the play.
Written by Tristan Bernays, with music by Dougal Irvine, TEDDY takes us on a one-night journey with teenagers Teddy and Josie, who revel in the still Blitz-damaged environs of 1950s Elephant and Castle.
The rebellious juvenile pair, sport an assortment of slicked quiffs, tailored jackets, red lipstick and bare ankles as they steal, fight, dance and romance their way through an evening which emulates the shenanigans of their youthful cinematic and rock’n’roll heroes. The rhyming dialogue is delivered at a jaunty, Gatling-gun pace by Molly Chesworth (definitely an addition to my one-to-watch list of up and coming performers) who brings a fresh insouciant charm to Josie as well as delivering other supporting characterisations - especially notable was the amorous thug Tully whose lecherous advances Josie manages to side-step on a couple of occasions. George Parker in the title role finds himself in the odd position of having the beat himself-up whilst playing both Teddy and the cantankerous, disheveled pawnbroker which the pair hold-up during their night of adventure. Whilst his over-stated physical posturings don’t quite match the subtler ambiguities of his onstage partner, Parker brings a youthful and sometimes sweaty vulnerability to his roles.
Movement around the small but atmospheric stage area is frenetic and largely maintains audience attention and although the story is relatively slight and seems to lack a cohesive ending, who cares when the house lights come on and the band invites audience members up to dance along to their own songs and hits such as Great Balls of Fire and Rock Around the Clock?
Belgian theatre company Ontroered Goed present this monologue, World Without Us - a rumination on what would happen to Earth if humanity suddenly disappeared from existence. The methodical pace of the show forces the audience to use their imagination while Valentijn Dhaenens leads us through a step-by-step guide to the end of human kind.