Writer and Director: Cathy Wippell
It’s day 453 since the bomb went off, and here we are in “what used to be the Barons Court Theatre.” Down here, safe from the acid rain and polluted air, we are watching the last surviving accordionist in the U.K. perform a cabaret show. This is the world of Cathy Wippell’s Montselier. The piece excels in its worldbuilding. But ultimately, it’s a play of ideas, and it lacks a central conflict to drive the story forward.
This one-person, 60-minute show follows the aforementioned accordionist, named Montselier. The play is composed of a few songs on the accordion, Montselier’s musings on the end of the world, and a healthy degree of audience interaction. Wippell plays off the audience well, but relies too heavily on this component to maintain engagement. This makes the piece slow-moving and unfocused as a whole.
The songs are charming, but for the most part they lack theses. The most engaging moment of the show comes halfway through with a song about the cruel game played by those in power who have created this disastrous future. It is the first call to action of the play. The other monologues and songs, while creative, could use more of this nuance.
Theatre is meant to be about the extraordinary. But the character Montselier frequently references the fact that they perform this piece every night for the same crowd. This is where the problem lies: nothing is extraordinary about this day. While this universe is rich with backstory, the status quo is not disrupted in any way during the show. This performance felt like the first step towards something that could one day be a brilliant piece of darkly comedic, activist theatre after a bit of workshopping.
Monstelier presents many compelling ideas about how we reckon with the past when it seems like we have no future. While not perfectly executed at this stage in its development, audiences should keep an eye on this play and Wippell’s future work.
Runs until 25 October 2025
