Review: Girl Out Of The Blue (Tabard Theatre)

Review by Holly-Lily 

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Families are unbelievably complicated. That is one thing every human being will likely agree on. So sitting in the theatre yesterday watching Girl Out Of The Blue didn’t only feel like watching a play; it also felt like watching an open-ended discussion. The audience laughed out loud, verbally agreed when poignant lines were said, and, in the interval, many discussions were had about the relatability of elements of the show and where they felt the story was going. That is what theatre is all about: delivering a clear message and sparking up conversations that continue long after the audience heads home… or in the Tabard Theatre’s case, when the audience continues their evening in the pub downstairs. 

Girl Out Of The Blue makes its debut at the Tabard Theatre this September, which is a lovely, intimate studio space above The Tabard Pub in Chiswick, London. The play is a simple, character-driven story which follows Abi, a 17-year-old girl who decides to seek out her biological father to spark up a relationship with him. Her mother, Beth, had purposefully been keeping Abi in the dark to protect her from the truth and to avoid any major conflict that might trouble their close-knit bond. When their lives eventually become intertwined with Doug’s, Abi’s father, their long-buried secrets begin to get exposed, and the newly introduced family is forced to decide whether they want, let alone if it is even possible, to deal with these challenges as a team. 

Giles Cole has written a play that exceptionally depicts the complex nature of families. Whether you relate to the direct situation these characters find themselves in, or just resonate with the casual mother-daughter bickers, Cole has created a richly textured world built upon very convincing characters with believable histories. The dialogue is natural, sharp and funny, balanced well with more emotional and powerful moments. The tension between the characters builds slowly, their dialogue drip-feeding you with little bits of information, allowing you to uncover their secrets in real time. Some moments, however, felt like they were brushed over a little quickly. For example, when Abi discovers an article that was written about Doug, it felt like this didn’t concern her as much as it should have, but seeing as the play spanned over a reasonable length of time, we, as an audience, can postulate that more conversations were perhaps had outside of the scenes themselves. 

The acting was to a very high standard. Miranda Braun as Abi believably portrayed a teenage girl, nailing her fierce, ambitious and resilient qualities, whilst also acknowledging that a 17-year-old is still a child. She was innocent and curious in more vulnerable moments, with her desperation for answers and her yearning for love, creating a very likeable, relatable, and well-rounded character. Seeta Indrani as Maya and Sarah Berger as Beth were both excellent, playing their anger and frustration believably, whilst also finding lots of humour in the text. Despite (understandably) not having much of a relationship together, their storylines do somewhat mirror each other, and it was lovely to see the journey that these characters went on whilst discovering that perhaps they both weren't so different after all. 

Jonathan Sidgwick as Doug was both wonderfully horrible and beautifully charming. Despite, in many ways, being the play’s villain, you can understand why these women fell to his feet and believed his empty words. As an audience member, you couldn't help but secretly still like him, despite the stress he was causing. The standout relationship was between Braun and Berger, who created a very believable mother and daughter duo, bouncing off each other wonderfully. The whole cast trusted Cole’s writing, not falling into the trap of trying to ‘be funny’, but instead, just letting the text do the talking, which made the humour effortless. 

Director Jonas Cemm reflected the unpretentious and naturalistic nature of the storyline in his direction, keeping it very simple. Every scene was relatively static, forcing the audience to focus solely on the words being said and emotions being felt. The transitions (which were partnered beautifully with a dim pink light) perfectly marked the end of a scene and sometimes the jump in timeline, with the actors effectively utilising these moments to swiftly move the set and clear the props. These transitions were also used to continue the characters' emotional arcs; with just a simple look out towards the audience or the downing of drinks, we got to see a little more of what they were genuinely thinking and the emotions that perhaps were left unsaid in the scene prior. Having said that, whilst most transitions were particularly strong, a few felt less purposeful, and it wasn’t always clear if the actors were in character or not. This took the audience out of the story for a second, but once the dialogue started up again, the actors did a good job of seizing the audience’s attention quickly. 

Bethany Blake’s design was absolutely perfect. The lighting was stark during the scenes, reflecting the exposing nature of the story, and giving the characters, particularly Doug, nowhere to hide. The dim pink lighting in the transitions was warm and intimate, reminding me of the play An Inspector Calls, which suggests that this lighting state reflects rose-tinted glasses. In Girl Out Of The Blue, the rose-tinted lighting symbolised how the women idealised Doug and often overlooked his manipulative behaviour, all in the name of love. The audience were wearing rose-tinted glasses in these moments as well, reflecting how we also fell for Doug’s charm and couldn’t dislike his character, no matter how much we perhaps should. 

Blake’s set design was complemented by her lighting and was equally as well thought out, with the props being simple, so as not to distract us from the dialogue. As you entered the theatre, three spotlights fell upon three different pieces of furniture: a table and chairs, a sofa, and a bar with two stools. Upstage was blocked off by five staggered boards, which were covered in newspapers, with a beautifully painted tree growing across them. The tree, presumably representing a family tree, was large with many branches growing off it, reflecting the complex and non-linear nature of families. 

Specific words and newspaper headlines were highlighted, with certain phrases in bold or bigger in size than others, for example, ‘responsibility’, 'deserves better', and ‘lying’. Throughout the play, you would notice the words and begin to understand their relevance. During the transitions, when the stage was sometimes left empty and we, as the audience, had on our ‘rose-tinted glasses’, you might spot a word that would break you out of Doug’s spell, reminding you of what the story was really about and reinforcing what these characters are going through. It was a very subtle and clever way of showing how we are often blinded by our own perspective, and sometimes the truth of a situation is hidden in plain sight. As the play progressed, more and more words became relevant and rang true, which was incredibly effective.

The sound design by Andrew Johnson effectively helped to build the world that the characters lived in, creating realistic environments (for example, the wine bar), helping us to picture a space that is alive and thriving, despite so few actors being on stage. William Godfree composed beautiful classical music, which you are welcomed with when entering the theatre, in the interval and then again at the end. We know from the outset that Beth has hidden information from Abi about her father, and we learn in the play that she loves classical music, so this choice of genre and the soft melody was the perfect antithesis to the conflict ahead. The classical music felt like it represented Beth’s facade, symbolising how she had just put a plaster on the damage, rather than dealing with it directly, something we commonly do as humans to save face. 

With a 2-hour and 20-minute run time, for the most part, Girl Out Of The Blue holds tightly onto the audience's attention and doesn’t let them go until the very end. The play navigates complicated family dynamics and explores deep themes of betrayal, all while making its audience laugh. Giles Cole has written a wonderful play that every audience member will relate to in some capacity and feel seen by. For that reason alone, it is a must-see. 

Girl Out Of The Blue plays at the Tabard Theatre until 10th October. Tickets from https://www.tabard.org.uk/production/girl-out-of-the-blue

Photos by Bethany Blake