Who’s Next? – White Bear Theatre, London

Writer and Director: Cerys Jones

It’s very rare that we see us theatre reviewers on stage. Usually they are not sympathetic characters and Cerys Jones’s debut is no different, but joining the cynical reviewer on stage are a couple of actors, an usher, a member of the audience, and, the staple of press nights, an actor’s lover who can’t see the bad acting. Together they discuss the magic that is theatre. Jones’s play may be meta, but it’s never fussy.

Indeed, Jones saves all the affectations for her reviewer who speaks up, interrupting an obscure Pinteresque play. At first he complains about the uncomfortable seats, and then starts writing a perfunctory review before the show has even finished. He’s been worn down by all the plays he’s seen and has now become jaded. But earning £100 for each review, he sees it as easy money.

If Cerys Jones believes that we get paid that kind of money, then she’s very much mistaken. The most we can hope for, apart from the free ticket, is a glass of wine, though that, like tonight, is never guaranteed. Most of us start writing the review on the bus home and then wake up early to finish it before we go to our day jobs. There are few full-time critics left now. The papers can’t afford them. Just ask Lyn Gardner.

Jones’s reviewer is from the past, someone who had more power. In the digital age where everyone can be a critic, tweeting and hashtagging their views, his influence has diminished. He’s bitter and wants to sneak off before the play ends, something we’d never do, right?

The relationship between the modern reviewer and fringe shows is never explored. Reviews and star ratings from outlets like The Reviews Hub really can shift more tickets, and, importantly, they can also help shows obtain funding. But Jones’s reviewer is in the play as a comic character and Jeremy Hancock plays the stereotype well.

The actors – Sophie MacDonald and Ben Felton- are there for the laughs too, and are very funny in their efforts to out-act each other. Joshua Jewkes strikes a tragic figure as Ben the usher who really is an actor too, and who watches helplessly as his colleagues are picked up by casting directors. Playing the elderly audience member is Judy Tcherniak, and while she gives a touching performance her character too is grounded in stereotype.

The only character who does feel real is Lou, actor Jeremy’s girlfriend who, while watching him perform, decides that she might have to break up with him. Played charismatically by Daisy Porter, the story of a woman pursuing her professional dreams seems true, and it could be a show on its own – or at least the main focus of this play. The other vignettes are almost insignificant in comparison. Lou’s story and perhaps to an extent Ben’s, are the only ones not there for comedy.

The audience – the real audience, that is – has a great time trying to work out who’s next to break the fourth wall, and Jones directs her play with pace, meaning that while some of the monologues are a little too long, the 75-minutes go by quickly. There’s only one person missing from her list of people who make theatre happen: the playwright. Perhaps this cast member was just too close to home.

Runs until 5 March 2022