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Review: Aggy (Park Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

Aggy and Tell Me Straight are presented as a double bill, with tickets available separately or at a discounted rate when purchased together.

 

Waiting for a revival of Paul Bradshaw’s Tell Me Straight is, it would seem, pretty similar to waiting for a bus. Eventually it will come, and right behind it will be another bus… not the same one but it’s going a similar way, and you’ll get to your destination just the same. Because Aggy, Bradshaw’s new play, may share its world-premiere space with Tell Me Straight’s revival, but rather than act as two sides of the same coin it introduces exciting new ideas to his existing exploration of identity politics.


 

Whereas Tell Me Straight tackled the complexities of building friendships and pseudo-romantic entanglements with men who cling firmly to their straightness, Aggy takes on a different beast altogether. The play begins with Mahlik moving in with his boyfriend Lawrence, an artist who is struggling to find a steady stream of income with ever-viral rival Rex seeming to get every opportunity. A bit of morally questionable debating later, and Lawrence has taken on the persona of Law, claiming to be newly exploring their non-binary identity, and gaining lots of a clout as Rex’s new bestie.

 

Bradshaw’s writing is careful and detailed here, walking that finest of lines where both Lawrence and Mahlik present some deeply questionable ideas, but don’t topple sharply into being totally dislikeable. With Rex seen only in pre-recorded social media posts, it’s the partners’ conversations which must carry the emotional weight of the show, and Bradshaw’s knack for realistic dialogue and willingness to let his characters be unlikable at times helps to strengthen his carefully woven narrative.

 


As in Tell Me Straight, this two-hander’s third character never appears onstage, but Jack Gittins is still entirely watchable and fully dynamic as social media darling Rex, neither straying too far into parody of influencer culture nor too far away from the inherent campiness of the role. Audio visual designer Matt Powell has put together strong visuals for these segments, close enough to TikTok to be recognisable without outright stealing the app’s assets, and this believability greatly helps cement the play in the real world, in the here and now.

 

As Mahlik, Jean-Luke Worrell must walk another fine like, as his character is the instigator behind Lawrence’s deception, but also feels much of the impact of their changing lives and Law’s overtaking of their own identities. Worrell’s performance is deeply grounded and established as a calming, more down to earth presence in Lawrence’s life, allowing for maximum impact when he tears ferociously into the more impassioned later scenes. These moments allow Worrell to show more broad, startling emotion, and he proves more than up to the task of flipping from a sedated presence to a fiery, believably enraged one in a mere moment.

 


Matthew Jordan brings enough desperation and self-deprecation to Lawrence that we understand why he goes to such drastic measures to finally gain some recognition. While we never lose sight of just how wrong his behaviour is, Jordan’s earliest moments present the character as so downtrodden by his lack of success that his trying anything presented to him hardly seems a stretch. Mimicking Gittins’ Rex, Jordan also brings a fun “run, don’t walk,” pseudo-influencer quality to the role that lets us know right away how quickly Lawrence begins to believe in Law’s hype.

 

Imogen Frances and playwright Paul Bradshaw act as co-directors for Aggy, leaning into the blend of semi-normal homelife and exaggerated almost-celebrity misadventure. Their work here feels more noticeable in the post-Law scenes, where they carefully but effectively navigate Lawrence’s rapidly changing persona clashing with Mahlik’s continuing to live life as normal. Their command of the space is totally assured, what is where in their apartment never in doubt, and the routes in and out always consistent. Of course, it helps that designer Damien Stanten has created a realistic, lived-in staging of their main living space, complete with Mahlik’s work-from-home set-up and a never-finished piece by Lawrence always waiting in the background.


 

While Tell Me Straight maintains a more simple, unobtrusive visual presentation, Aggy fully displays the work of various artsist involved. Powell’s pre-recordings stretch across the walls as the disconnection between reality and fantasy builds, and sound and light by Eamonn O’Dwyer and Cheng Keng, respectively, begin more subtle but become deliberately harsh in a sequence where things truly begin to fall apart. This moment in particular is striking, electrifying, and thoroughly effective in putting across internal conflict as an external presence.

 

Tell Me Straight put Paul Bradshaw on the map as a voice to watch. I’m thrilled to say that Aggy proves that his debut was anything but a fluke. Following many stylistic elements from his previous work but finding new and exciting uses for them, Bradshaw continues to be an important voice in contemporary queer theatre, and the pairing of these two shows together makes not only for a dynamic evening of theatre, but a clear indication of his growth as an artist.

 

Aggy plays at the Park Theatre until March 28th

 

For tickets and information visit https://parktheatre.co.uk/events/aggy/

 

Photos by Craig Fuller

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