Writer and Director: George Abbott
We weren’t quite sure it’d started. We weren’t entirely convinced it had ended. In-between was something equal parts funny and serious, fascinating, bewildering, self-indulgent and almost consistently engaging. My Plan For Tomorrow might not be for everyone, but it’s certainly unique.
Loosely following the fortunes of Piers (Alfie Lanham-Brown), the play consists of three scenes that become more and more bizarre, playing with the notions of success, failure, modern masculinity, internet culture and the audience itself in ever more obscure ways.
A jobseekers seminar descends into college-age sniping; a convention (maybe?) panel into a half-teased romance; and then a strange therapy session. The audience forms another cast member throughout, their silence interrogated, their position increasingly sinister. But what are we watching? The interrogation of Piers’ personality? Sketch-like scenes where it’s not entirely sure if we’re watching the same characters from previous pieces? The muddle and open-ended relationships are part of the fun but at times it’s a bit too obscure to follow.
The piece is also occasionally too self-indulgent, particularly in the last segment which goes on a fraction too long and attempts too often to make its point. But George Abbott’s writing is packed with promise throughout: the confrontation between Piers and ex-best friend Tomas (Chris Capon) zings, while Rebecca Lafond’s convention goer is a believable representation of an isolated internet dweller. Dominic Daniels’ interviewer has too much to say to make the audience stay focused but also has a strong monologue about past traumas.
Abbott’s play is packed with jokes and philosophical musings, and while not all land, he’s clearly a writer with funny bones and big ideas. With a slightly tighter structure and a dramaturg on board, the text and its creator should go places.
The young cast is, however, consistently good: Lanham-Brown and Capon both have excellent comic timing, with Lanham-Brown settling into his role and its mixture of preening self-importance/abject failure as he goes and Capon stealing his scenes. Lafond has less to do but excels in a moment of silence towards the end of her segment. Daniels is the standout, moving between what seems like dual roles but are meant (?) to be the same character, with a great grasp of dialogue and able to play both comedic and tragic segments excellently. He’s reminiscent of a young Peter Vaughan: balancing menace and sympathy equally, with the makings of an excellent character actor.
My Plan For Tomorrow isn’t the easiest thing in the world to follow: in fact, in parts, it feels downright impenetrable, to the detriment of the quality of the writing and performances. But as a showcase for talent on and off stage, with some very funny lines and profound ideas, delivered by a supremely strong cast, it succeeds, whilst challenging its audience to delve between the lines and beyond their ideas of traditional theatre. It feels fresh and exciting.
Runs until 4 November 2023
