Grace Venus in Stalled at King's Head Theatre. Photo Johan PerssonFirst off, we should address the elephant in the room, namely use of the word STALLED as an overtly self-conscious homonym used to denote that individuals can become stuck in a rut and not know which direction to take… whilst simultaneously inferring that they may momentarily occupy a toilet cubicle (at least in American English).
Akin to The Women, this is an all-female affair with mothers and wayward daughters, mothers with dead daughters and mothers with lesbian daughters all making their mark during the course of the evening. Most prominent of all is Maggie (Lauren Ward) a hapless and rudderless toilet attendant who appears to be sleeping at her place of work as she attempts to overcome the maternal trauma which recently befell her. Her instinct to protect and mother others is deemed fussy and intrusive by most she encounters, but gradually they (and we) come to understand and appreciate that her behaviour is borne of a need to maintain some control and agency in a life which has unravelled due to the death of her daughter at the hands of fentanyl, the use of which has reached epidemic proportions and become the societal scourge of America.
Created by the team of Liesl Wilke and Andy March there are circa fifteen songs in the production which eschews an interval in favour of a crisper running time. However, given that much of the plot lines get bogged down in emotional hand wringing (albeit hands slathered in lavender lotion), a break which affords the promise of a small libation is precisely what may have served to lift the mood in an otherwise gloomy tale of human failure, disappointment in children, frustration with parents, a probable unwanted pregnancy, abandonment and a plethora of other emotionally overwrought tales.
Directed by Vikki Stone, the musical which unfolds in a Seattle Ladies’ Room, uses the revolving door style of character intros which was so effectively deployed in fast-talking screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s. Here due to the layout, toilet cubicle doors (stalls) serve much the same function, in set designer Emily Bestow’s neatly realised creation.
Under Livi Van Warmelo’s musical direction, the strongest songs of the evening were Slow Down, Beautiful Girl and Different Not Broken with the woefully under-utilised Joanna Kirkland adding a much needed comedic injection into proceedings with her dead-pan evangelical phone operator in 1-800 Help Me.
Full cast:
MAGGIE LAUREN WARD
CYNTHIA JOSIE BENSON
EMMA GRACE VENUS
MARY-ANNE CARRIE SUTTON
ROBIN REBECCA-JO ROBERTS
KRYSTAL REGINA CO
ANGELA CEZARAH BONNER
SERENA EVITA KHRIME
SOPHIE ISABELLA GERVAIS
OPERATOR/ENSEMBLE/COVER MAGGIE, CYNTHIA, ANGELA & MARY-ANNE JOANNA KIRKLAND
ON STAGE COVER EMMA ESPADA
