Another Someone, Rashdash – Bedlam Theatre

***** (5 stars)

RashDash Production’s new play, Another Someone, playing at Bedlam Theatre until Saturday 28th August, has got to be one of the best theatre experiences I have ever had. This theatrical feast of music, dance and theatre had me engaged and enthralled from start to finish, with the talents of their triple-threat-quartet of a cast (Abbi Greenland, Helen Goalen, Marc Graham & Becky Wilkie) effortlessly bringing the tale to life.

The story revolves around ‘three ordinary people’ and their attempts to find happiness in the modern world; Holly the uptight aspiring barrister, Alicia the hilariously zany neighbour and her incredibly sweet and endearing flatmate Jim. An unlikely romance blossoms between Holly and Jim, but is cut short by Holly’s obsession with status and career aspiration.

All this is cleverly narrated by Becky, their omniscient narrator on a keyboard, who opens the play with a song about what makes her happy, in lilting tones and vernacular lyrics, which reminded me of the brutal honesty of Kate Nash’s more recent numbers. Her subsequent narration of the story, through both song and more informal banter, with the audience was very reminiscent of the inner monologues from Channel 4’s Peep Show, and just as hilariously funny. This mixture of touching songs and witty commentary, matched with the raw emotion and energetic physical routines of the other three characters, brought the audience from laughter to near tears in quick succession.

The simple, minimalist set and props, allowed for a very fluid performance, with the focus being directed to a somewhat symbolic web of colourful cloths tied together into a visually stunning backdrop. This mesh of material and colour was lifted up and hooked to the ceiling, transforming it into a forest of fabric as the setting for their final few tableaux.

Energetic modern dance was a permanent fixture throughout the story as they intermingled commonplace, everyday activities with interpretative movement. Such a mix could so easily have slipped into pretension, but the clarity of their movement pieces and the raw emotion exuded left me moved and enchanted, despite my initial reservations. A number of the physical routines may have gone on a bit too long, and even lost track of the story, but the very realistic and absorbing acting that followed, they constantly drew the audience back in.

RashDash brilliantly combined the energy and innovative movement of physical theatre with fantastically witty modern musical numbers, providing an extremely professional and touching homage to happiness.

Bedlam Theatre, running until 28th August, 9pm.

Orla Murray