Ever found yourself wondering what would happen if some of the greatest figures in Victorian literature were to find themselves in a tavern on a bitter Winter's night?
Well, a group of drama students studying at Exeter University did just that and, through the course of an evening and, I assume, a couple of rounds of student-priced pints, they formed a theatre company; Stupidity Street was born.
Then, on Halloween, the company brought a host of unlikely and undesirable characters into Exeter’s Bike Shed Theatre in a promenade performance that set a standard which others may find it hard to live up to.
In The Last Orders the audience, seated haphazardly around the room on sofas and barstools, become part of scenery. Betsy [Sally Naylor] and Nancy [Eloise Tong] begin to serve drinks and pies, thoughtfully provided by Mrs Lovett [Mel Barrett], who is next to appear on the scene, along with a dangerously drunk Mister Sweeney Todd [Nick Limm].
Enter next a flustered and cautious looking Doctor Jekyll [Nick Smith] who positions himself in a dark corner, making sure Betsy is always in view. As he talks concernedly to her about whether his acquaintance, a Mister Hyde, has been around lately, a fop enters, introduces himself as Dorian Gray [Harry Boyd] and proceeds to flirt shamelessly with the barmaids and make eyes at male members of the audience.
The last of the assumed-villains to enter is a foreigner, a Swiss man by the name of Frankenstein [Abbi Davey], who requests a room for the night, whilst always looking over his shoulder, trying to steer clear of the others in the room and keep to himself.
The scene falls silent as a slim, stern-looking man enters the bar and, with all eyes on him, asks confidently for nothing but water. This man is the great, and until recently deceased, Sherlock Holmes [Emily Holyoake].
Throughout the course of the night, four characters are apparently murdered, and it is up to those who remain standing to figure out who is responsible.
Although, at first, it may seem like an easy thing to take a character that has been read about for a hundred years and bring them to life, there have been enough awful adaptations to prove that it is nothing of the sort. Some of these characters appear very one-dimensional in their own books and the effort that went into this production becomes apparent as the characters begin to interact with one another.
Lovett shocked the audience as her sweet sing-songy voice turned to malice as she forced a blade up to Dorian’s neck. Frankenstein, whose accent could have created an overly comical character had it been done badly, came across as cold and calculating in the face of death and entertained the audience with the dry wit of a man trying to escape detection. Dorian’s arrogant facade quickly broke down to reveal the layers of fear and guilt behind the vulnerable and insecure little boy. Jekyll appealed most to the audience’s sympathies as he earnestly tried to protect Betsy from the company around her, however, this warped towards the end as Hyde reared his head and created a bipolar opposite to the unassuming man that had been present before.
As an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, I wasn't sure how I'd react to the role being played by a female actor, however, the posture and movement of the character was entirely convincing and, at moments of low light, the silhouette was that of the great detective exactly.
Todd stole the show, staying slumped in a chair unless at the bar, requesting another drink, and succeeded in making every member of the audience feel threatened, delivering his lines with a voice like gravel and occasionally giving the most sinister smile I’ve ever seen.
Blending descriptions from their character’s books with their own quirks and traits, each actor successfully managed to create depth and mystery in the well-known figures they were playing.
Although science students may have cringed a little when the characters tested a solution for cyanide by adding it to water and waiting for it to turn yellow, the whole audience, without exception, were held captive by the well-acted piece that clung onto its enigmas until the very end.
Rumour has it that, after such an outstanding opening night, The Last Orders may be reviving itself in a new Exeter venue or two.
Missing it once was a crime, to miss it again would be a sin.
Well, a group of drama students studying at Exeter University did just that and, through the course of an evening and, I assume, a couple of rounds of student-priced pints, they formed a theatre company; Stupidity Street was born.
Then, on Halloween, the company brought a host of unlikely and undesirable characters into Exeter’s Bike Shed Theatre in a promenade performance that set a standard which others may find it hard to live up to.
In The Last Orders the audience, seated haphazardly around the room on sofas and barstools, become part of scenery. Betsy [Sally Naylor] and Nancy [Eloise Tong] begin to serve drinks and pies, thoughtfully provided by Mrs Lovett [Mel Barrett], who is next to appear on the scene, along with a dangerously drunk Mister Sweeney Todd [Nick Limm].
Enter next a flustered and cautious looking Doctor Jekyll [Nick Smith] who positions himself in a dark corner, making sure Betsy is always in view. As he talks concernedly to her about whether his acquaintance, a Mister Hyde, has been around lately, a fop enters, introduces himself as Dorian Gray [Harry Boyd] and proceeds to flirt shamelessly with the barmaids and make eyes at male members of the audience.
The last of the assumed-villains to enter is a foreigner, a Swiss man by the name of Frankenstein [Abbi Davey], who requests a room for the night, whilst always looking over his shoulder, trying to steer clear of the others in the room and keep to himself.
The scene falls silent as a slim, stern-looking man enters the bar and, with all eyes on him, asks confidently for nothing but water. This man is the great, and until recently deceased, Sherlock Holmes [Emily Holyoake].
Throughout the course of the night, four characters are apparently murdered, and it is up to those who remain standing to figure out who is responsible.
Although, at first, it may seem like an easy thing to take a character that has been read about for a hundred years and bring them to life, there have been enough awful adaptations to prove that it is nothing of the sort. Some of these characters appear very one-dimensional in their own books and the effort that went into this production becomes apparent as the characters begin to interact with one another.
Lovett shocked the audience as her sweet sing-songy voice turned to malice as she forced a blade up to Dorian’s neck. Frankenstein, whose accent could have created an overly comical character had it been done badly, came across as cold and calculating in the face of death and entertained the audience with the dry wit of a man trying to escape detection. Dorian’s arrogant facade quickly broke down to reveal the layers of fear and guilt behind the vulnerable and insecure little boy. Jekyll appealed most to the audience’s sympathies as he earnestly tried to protect Betsy from the company around her, however, this warped towards the end as Hyde reared his head and created a bipolar opposite to the unassuming man that had been present before.
As an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, I wasn't sure how I'd react to the role being played by a female actor, however, the posture and movement of the character was entirely convincing and, at moments of low light, the silhouette was that of the great detective exactly.
Todd stole the show, staying slumped in a chair unless at the bar, requesting another drink, and succeeded in making every member of the audience feel threatened, delivering his lines with a voice like gravel and occasionally giving the most sinister smile I’ve ever seen.
Blending descriptions from their character’s books with their own quirks and traits, each actor successfully managed to create depth and mystery in the well-known figures they were playing.
Although science students may have cringed a little when the characters tested a solution for cyanide by adding it to water and waiting for it to turn yellow, the whole audience, without exception, were held captive by the well-acted piece that clung onto its enigmas until the very end.
Rumour has it that, after such an outstanding opening night, The Last Orders may be reviving itself in a new Exeter venue or two.
Missing it once was a crime, to miss it again would be a sin.
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