Writers: George Abbott and Alfie Lanham-Brown
Director: George Abbott
Spare the Rod Theatre returns with an ambitious and bold concept, to facilitate and encourage real-life debate between its audiences with The Argument. The specific result will, of course, vary per performance but one thing seems clear: viewers are guaranteed a memorable evening either way.
Upon entering the theatre space, the audience are greeted with a multi-sensory assault. Thumping music fills the venue, which is covered in confetti and feels somewhat like a nightclub, as flashes of light spring from a photographer snapping pictures of the audience. On one side of the room is a merchandise stall selling T-shirts and masks, while creators George Abbott and Alfie Lanham-Brown welcome everyone with a handshake and a blue shot. This eccentric welcome establishes an unshakable atmosphere of awe, confusion and apprehension, which ebbs and flows throughout the evening but never fully dissipates.
Motivating this intriguing oddity of theatre-making is a review from the Edinburgh Fringe for a previous Spare the Rod production, which was slammed for its lack of anything ‘real’. The Argument is the company’s rebuke, encouraging unscripted, unfiltered conflict between their audiences. After collectively drafting up a list of possible topics, the evening progresses in three stages: first, the audience unites as a team to take on Abbott and Lanham-Brown with topic 1; next the performers facilitate as the audience debate between each other; and finally, the audience is given complete autonomy to descend into chaos.
From a pacing perspective, the production is quite uneven. A timid audience is the worst-case scenario, but Abbott and Lanham-Brown generate engagement with friendly and persuasive crowd-work. The pair actively encourages viewers to dig deep, speak up and tackle the big issues. At certain points, it feels like the piece really is gaining momentum, only for it to plateau before it can peak. Without a confident voice to tip the scales, this ebb and flow is an inescapable cycle for The Argument which brings to mind the phrase ‘you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink’.
Regardless of how the majority of the show unfolds, Spare the Rod structures the piece so that it undoubtedly ends with an unforgettable climax. There will be no spoilers here, but the increasingly absurd developments of this production make it unnervingly difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction.
The Argument may sound like an experiment which is doomed to fail from the outset; there are so many ways it could go wrong. Spare the Rod have quite a few tricks up their sleeve, however, and never lose control of their own creation. This production may not be a resounding success, depending on how you measure it, but it is chaotically creative and undoubtedly unique.
Runs until 12 April 2025
