Review – #BestLife at Theatre N16

#BestLife is a new writing night organized by Beg To Differ Productions at N16Theatre. It’s an event where you’re expected to experience your #BESTLIFE – if only just for the night!

In the line up of the evening there are 6 brand new acts. There’s music, comedy and straight theatre, making this event a great opportunity to see a wide variety of theatre styles. There’s something for everyone and the audience will not leave the theatre unsatisfied.

Emma Swan’s comedy, performed with her guitar, is very entertaining and funny. Through her songs she describes the differences between Northeners and Londoners, and how loud the silence on the tube is. It’s a competition between Yorkshire builders tea and fancy coffees, trying to prove that everyone is friendlier up North.

In Swingers, by Nick Reed, we can see a play about betrayals and the challenges of relationships. The actors (Julia Cranney and Adam Fitzgerald) do their best to bring the nuances, fears and secrets of their characters to life, but because of the staging and how the theatre is build, I missed great part of the action, as the actors were hidden by the heads of the audience in front of me, preventing me from engaging fully with what was happening on stage.

The third act, and last before the interval, was Blow, a play by Jack Silver and Libby Welsh. It’s a very ambitious play about how poorly minorities are represented in theatre, and in society, with some choices that I hope will become regular in theatre in the near future. It’s a play that wants to defeat the stereotypes we see on stage, with an eye on casting that proves that things can be done differently if only there’s the will to do it . It also tries to include all audiences, with an interpreter on the side, translating all that’s being said on stage into sing language. (Read the review by Rachele Fregonese HERE.)

The second act started with another comedy act by Shelf. Here the comedic duo (Rachel and Ruby), presented some sketches making fun of stereotypes in a very witty and funny way. Rachel’s great expression and Ruby’s natural delivery and comedic timing were a joy to watch and a great warm up for the rest of the evening.

Lovesick is a short play by Georgina Barley about love. It’s a delicate and well written play that asks very interesting questions such as: do organs have memory? It’s a two handler with two great female characters played by Maria Hildebrand and Georgina Barley . The performance of both actresses is strong and the play is enjoyable, as it’s very well crafted.

The last act – Fxxk 18 by Matthew Roberts– is a restoration comedy set in modern times. It merges Shakespeare verses with new poetry in a modern setting. The performance presented tonight is a short version of a longer play, which probably explains why it was hard to follow. The staging was vibrant and interesting, and the actors full of energy, making it a good act to end the evening.

#BestLife is a night where the audience can see new work coming to life and discover new emerging artists. Theatre N16 proves to be one of the few London’s theatres willing to take the risk and help performers presenting their work.  It’s through nights like this, and thanks to theatres like N16, that theatre can evolve and grow.

#BestLife at Theatre N16

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