Writer: Michael Frayn
Director: James Haddrell
At a time when there’s so many new, exciting scripts, as well as a realm of classically excellent plays from the past, Michael Frayn’s Alarms and Excursions from 1998 feels like a strange one to revive. The whole performance is very outdated and just doesn’t quite work. It seems a wasted opportunity where a more relevant, engaging script could have been put on a platform to shine instead.
The lengthy sketches, directed by James Haddrell, are full of chaotic slapstick and middle-class mishaps, but are devoid unfortunately almost entirely of humour. Rather, they are torturous, repetitive back and forth retorts that seem to go around in never-ending circles.
The four talented actors (Dan Gaisford, Shereener Browne, Lauren Drennan and David Hubball) play a multitude of different characters, trying their best to insert comedic timing into each sketch. Their positivity and energy isn’t lost on the audience and they do a fantastic job with accents and cadence to ignite even the most dire characters.
Billed as a collection of plays about our reliance on technology and the issues that surround it , the various sketches are confusingly barely about technology at all. More so, observations about typical British sensibilities, such as being at cookie-cutter hotels abroad or trying to politely leave a get-together. These sketches would have been funny if they were snappier and shorter , but any semblance of humour quickly dissipates due to them being dragged out with frequent monotony.
The final sketch is an out-dated comedy of errors about payphones and answering machines , which is yet again, mainly repeated lines, echoed back to each-other. While this may have been titillating when it was written in the 90s it just doesn’t have the same effect in 2022 when everyone is glued to a smart device.
On Press Night the show was plagued with, ironically, multiple technical issues. Initially delaying the start time by 30 minutes, then again with an additional long break partially through the beginning of the second act. Even after cutting out one of the sketches, it made the already lengthy 2.5 hours play, drag on for excruciatingly longer. The actors, stage crew and venue however, were fantastic in powering through and working around the sound issues, playing through the frustrations and trying to make the best of a bad situation.
Were the technical difficulties a clever marketing ploy to prove the play was relevant in the modern day? Definitely not, but it drove the point home that no matter how much we’ve advanced, there with still be glitches and digital dilemmas, but it should have also been a good insight on when to just let something go and leave it alone.
Runs until 26 March 2022
The Reviews Hub Score
Out-dated & Repetitive
I went to see this play on Thursday 16th February. We were also plagued by technical problems meaning that, despite losing a sketch, the play finished 45 minutes late.
This review is spot on. The actors work so hard at trying to save a bad situation.
This play is just too long, irrelevant, repetitive, lacking in humour and at times excruciatingly boring.
Such a shame !
Loved the play. Myself and my friend laughed all the way through. The actors were extremely talented and Michael Frayn’s writing was superb. The final sketch with the pay phones was the funniest of all. He’s an amazingly talented writer. Sad that people see this type of comedy as outdated. I loved it.