Writer: afshan d’souza-lodhi
Director: Amanda Huxtable
Zack and Sofia met in a chicken shop in Oldham, with a little help from the gods (the Elders), and fell in love. Now they’re about to make a big commitment in front of a room full of their family and friends, and we’re all there to join the party. We’re ushered in to a huge hall, laid out for a lavish celebration. Coloured lights, drapes, flowers, a huge dancefloor, and, in the far corner, a live band. It’s completely convincing. We might be a bit under-dressed for this.
Three Elders kick off the story as family members rush about settling guests, sorting out the final details and getting increasingly frustrated at the non-arrival of the happy couple. As the time ticks by it seems this might not be the celebration we were expecting.
The Engagement Party starts so well, mostly due to Emma Williams’s sharply observed design. The space itself is immersive. We’ve all been to big weddings and parties that start just like this. Members of the wider community cast wander amongst the tables chatting. There’s a sense of anticipation. But when the lights go down and the cast start delivering what turns out to be a painfully slow and disjointed text, the initial momentum is lost. There’s just not enough energy to fill the cavernous space, either visually or aurally. Amanda Huxtable’s Direction, naturalistic to fit with the immersive nature of the show, just doesn’t work in this vast room where it’s often difficult to see which of the mic’d up actors is speaking. When the script really falls flat, the band (made up of vocalist Zee Mehdizadeh and members from Manchester’s Untold Orchestra) are called on to fill the gap, which they do with panache, but they might as well be at a different gig. They’re not even given a name.
The slow pace of the first half fails to warm up the audience and when, later, there’s dancing and games with a bit of audience participation, there’s a reluctance to join in. When the couple finally arrive, by which time a brawl has broken out – one of the more entertaining scenes with Fight Direction by Kevin McCurdy and Kenan Ali – the storyline picks up a bit as we discover what’s causing all the bother. Sofia’s had a better offer – the chance to escape Oldham on a year-long fellowship. Zack doesn’t really get it. He likes his hometown and hasn’t got any desire to see the world. While the party continues all around them they discuss the future, their hopes and fears, their differences. The Elders have their reasons for directing them on these paths and they don’t want history to repeat itself – “What if?” asks Elder One (Jo Gerard) – but it probably will.
The stillness of the drama amidst the chaotic party should work, but it mostly sits awkwardly. Performances are best when they are closer up, when the actors move amongst the tables and talk directly to the audience. Samir Arrian’s performance (Elder Three) gets lost when he’s trying to fill the vast space, but he’s compelling and intense close up.
A short film (TripleDot Makers) gives us a bit of Zack and Sofia’s back story, with Elder Three sent to engineer their meeting. It has the pace missing from the live action with Zack (Connor Darren James) and Sofia (Marucia Ferreira) chatting each other up in the chicken shop over a tray of chips. A second film – a facetime message from a friend (Julie Hesmondhalgh) wishing the couple well, is a pointless exercise in what we can only assume is levering in a famous face.
There’s a great idea here, but the show itself just doesn’t hold up. There’s not enough story, pace or coherence to keep the audience interested. There’s just a lot of sitting around while nothing much happens, and while that might realistically mimic this kind of family party, it doesn’t make for a very entertaining show.
Runs until 22 February 2025
