FUNNY, DEEP AND QUITE A FABULOUS “NATURALISTIC, CHARACTER-LED” RENDERING OF MODERN BREAK-UPS

By Georgia Chapman | @georgia_chapman99 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Directors of their own love despair, ‘Debris’, hosted by Theatre Peckham’s Peckham Fringe, is an honest and raw portrayal of differing perspectives in a breakup.

THE PLAY

Tom and Kaia have split up, actually, they’ve combusted to the point of no return. So, of course, they meet in a coffee shop for the post-break up chin wag. Starting with an awkward how are you, the conversation tilts towards Kaia’s new greenlit play ‘How To Survive A Narcissist’, which happens to be inspired by her relationship with Tom. After reading the play, Tom has some differing opinions on his cascade of events.

Introducing Kate, Tim and Celine, stars of Kaia’s play who reenact the short-lived love affair. Not only do they do a brilliant job working from Kaia’s script, but they also jump into action when Tom takes the play in a different direction (his memory).

Not only does the play do a sensational job at highlighting how slight miscommunications or opposing perspectives can change the course of a relationship, but also how juxtaposing personality types can react negatively to each other. Throughout the play, Tom and Kaia are butting heads about how a scene truly played out (from what they remember). Tom, a hot-headed male lead, shuts down and breaks off the relationship at the first instance of change. Kaia, trying to explain herself, gets flustered trying to save the relationship but is crushed by Tom’s stubbornness. 

THE CAST

Kaya Slawecka-Williams – Kaia

Kaya began her performance quite shy and awkward, but as soon as she and Tom warmed up to each other, the power shifted to Kaia the more she made fun of Tom. Kaya was a strong and fascinating female lead. She often lightened the air with jokes, such as the well timed 9/11 joke which erupted the audience in laughter. 

Tom Hunter – Tom

Tom brilliantly displayed a stereotypical film lad you expect to see in a ‘pints and chat’ video. 

Have you really been on a date with a London creative if they didn’t bring up the isolation of ‘Londoners’ and how their short film of strangers highlights the loneliness epidemic? Tom not only gave me awful hinge flashbacks but was terrific at playing the slightly narcissistic lover boy.

Maya Lewsey – Kate

There was something very endearing about how Maya played Kate’s character. As Kate was written by the female lead Kaia, Kaia would’ve written Kate’s character with rose gold glasses on. Maya did a brilliant job of captivating the audience, had brilliant comedic timing and got a great laugh at her delivery of the 109 bus joke. 

Alastair Ellery – Tim

Alastair gave a fantastic performance as the sickly sweet and slick Tim from Kaia’s rendition. Even when acting as an actor, Alastair was charming, funny and had brilliant mannerisms that separated the onstage actor from Tim. 

Maya and Alastair’s chemistry truly made the audience believe in their relationship, and you hoped they wouldn’t have the same ending as Kaia and Tom, alas.                                        

Sharitah Boulton – Celine/Barista

Sharitah began her performance as the barista, and mid-show transformed into Tom’s seductive (in Kaya’s eyes) best friend Celine. Sharitah, as Celine, took great stage directions from Tom to alter her demeanour to be a more casual friend rather than competition. The audience could totally see a great distinction between the two. She went to RADA, don’t you know!

THE TECHNICAL

The stage was dressed modestly with brown packing boxes acting as walls, with minimal props such as two different wooden chairs (which could highlight how the romantic pair never really matched). The boxes worked as they presented to the audience how they both never felt settled, which then led to their collapse. 

Sound and lighting played a great part in demonstrating the passage of time. In particular, the lighting and sound in the cinema scene kept the audience entranced while still showing four separate dates in one sequence. 

I genuinely enjoyed Eleanor Cowlin (Writer / Director) and Lev Govorovski’s (Director) production. The play was funny, deep and quite a fabulous “naturalistic, character-led” rendering of modern break-ups. We not only laughed, but the final scene reduced my friend to tears. I look forward to looking through the Debris of their next performance. 

WEBSITE

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐