đ My Plan For Tomorrow
đ Golden Goose Theatre, 146 Camberwell New Road, London, SE5 0RR            Â
đ Thursday 01 August 2024
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FRESH AND EXCITINGLY CREATIVE
Three scenes intertwine with each other to tell the story of the everyday life of central character Piers. He's the sort of guy that would appear on The Apprentice and be overwhelmingly bad yet inexplicably make it all the way to the final! He has the awkwardness of David Brent and never lets anyone see any deeper than the surface.
Expertly portrayed by Alfie Lanham-Brown we first meet Piers when he turns up late to a seminar he is running. The audience play a part in each scene and here we are the attendees of the seminar.
As Piers struggles to stick to the curriculum he is interrupted by Tomas who is sat amongst the audience. He's an old school friend of Piers, who seems to take joy in the fact that he has done better in life than Tomas. Although this is false and what ensues is the revelation of some personal truths and an almost childish game of oneupmanship as Piers awkwardly tries to remain cool and becomes overly confident about the outcome of an upcoming date.
Christopher Capon gives a great performance as Tomas from the comfort of his seat in the audience! This is an interesting creative choice. I have seen it before where someone will start in the audience and quickly move to the stage, but to experience a scene like this was really different and made it feel immersive, and you genuinely felt the awkwardness that anyone would feel if this were a real life situation.
In the second scene we are joined in the audience by Piers and newcomer to the story Ian as we await a meet and greet with Tomas who is now a published author. The way the two talk over each other to the audience is wonderfully comedic and because of where I was sat I was right in the middle of them which was a wonderful experience.
We also meet Rosa and Piers has yet another awkward encounter with her. The event gets cancelled and the scene ends somewhat chaotically as we see the cracks in our protagonists psyche.
Ian returns for the third scene, and is working as a therapist. Piers has been forced to attend therapy by his employer, although the exact reasons for this are unclear. The interaction between the two takes place with a screen between them so they never actually see one another - a good thing seeing as how their last interaction ended!
Dominic Daniels as Ian is wonderfully engaging and completely believable as he tries to guide an unwilling Piers through his session. In this instance the audience represent a panel of individuals who are monitoring Ian and how he works.
It's unclear exactly how much time has passed between each scene but it's clear that it is years rather than months. It's interesting to try and work out whether Piers is oblivious to his issues or if he's just in denial.
George Abbott's play actually leaves a lot of unanswered questions but rather than being tedious, it's rather endearing and really gets you thinking. As each scene ends it's almost as if it's unfinished in some respects, but I really enjoyed this.
The play concludes in a similar manner and as crew members clear the stage and open the exit door, it slowly dawns on the audience that the show is over! There's no curtain call and we're gestured towards the open door as the crew exit the stage.
In some respects this does leave the story unfinished but in others it creates intrigue and leaves the audience wanting more, creating post-show discussion.
There are lots of interesting creative choices and it seems that Abbott and the team at Spare The Rod are being innovative and expanding the boundaries of theatre which feels fresh and exciting.
At times disturbing, the play comments on how individuals can feel alienated in the modern world but never fails to find the humour in each situation.
The entire cast here were wonderful but I was completely mesmerised by the performance of Lanham-Brown, who completely embodied his character. I could see him in roles such as The Maniac in Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
There are just two performances left of MY PLAN FOR TOMORROW at the Golden Goose Theatre. Click here for tickets.
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer. Â
My ticket for this performance of My Plan For Tomorrow was gifted by Spare The Rod who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.Â
CAST LIST:
Alfie Lanham-Brown as Piers; Dominic Daniels as Ian; Christopher Capon as Tomas; Rebecca Lafond as Rosa
RUNNING TIME (approx):
1 hour, with no interval
Production Images Credit: Rachel Burnham
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