Written by Charlotte Anne-Tilley,
Review by Dominic Corr
Any audience with a passing familiarity with Charlotte Anne-Tilley’s writing will have expectations of some cleverly balanced humour and a whole heaping dollop of clowning antics. Serious Theatre from Serious People, despite the name, delivers whole-heartedly on the satirical comedy, with an appropriately ‘serious’ jab at the elitism of theatre and its insightful comments on the industry and its shortcomings.
Framed in and around the study of theatre, youth theatre, and emerging artists, writer Anne-Tilley and producer and performer Mabel Thomas take their craft very seriously—both in character and in creating the piece. There’s no question that within the world of theatre-making (and criticism), ego is the ruling force. And across new performers, teachers and lecturers seem to have a bad habit of instilling this within their students with a resounding impact on members, as the pair play characters of the Wincle’s “Bet On It” youth theatre group.
The pair’s chemistry and ability to bounce and work from one another is remarkable and fluid, though there are no surprises here, with this being only one of their two shows. The show’s physicality never really lets up, even in the few more intensive or word-heavy moments. The energy is enviable – exhausting to watch but in that healthy and appreciative manner. It’s a fast script where humour is the principal weapon, one wielded with a critique of pretension, but without creating characters devoid of dimensions or interest – think the stereotypes of amateur dramatics but played with genuine insight rather than poor stereotyping.
The humour, as keenly satirical as it is and wholly accurate in nailing down this infectious pretentious nature within theatre, does overtake the narrative as a whole—Anne-Tilley and Thomas punching for comedy harder than storytelling. It forces the show into disjointed moments, bordering on straight stand-up comedy and requiring a more streamlined approach.
Delightfully clownish, Serious Theatre from Serious People should be taken, well, very seriously. Humour rules the roost, but the dynamic two-hander offers insightful moments that, with further focus, demonstrate how our push for new generations of performers and theatre makers, while important, is still tainted with the very issues we should be fixing.
Review by Dominic Corr (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Editor for Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has been writing freelance for several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The List, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League, and The Wee Review. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic’s Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
