Review: Is This Thing On? (Hope Theatre)

Review by Sophie Wilby

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Following a run at Edinburgh Fringe, Is This Thing On? makes its London debut at The Hope Theatre. The first show for emerging writer duo Ellie Campbell and Megan Keaveny (collectively known as MissMatch) in co-production with So La Flair Theatre, this 70-minute two-hander follows flatmates Liz (Keaveny) and Mary (Campbell) as they navigate their friendship, and their conflicts, alongside regular performances at an open mic night. 

Despite their friendship, Mary and Liz are very different. This is established from the very opening of the show as each introduces themselves at an open mic night. While Mary is bold and confident, Liz is more uncomfortable in the spotlight. The differences continue as Mary unabashedly discusses her sexual exploits with a more subtle, reserved Liz. What the two have in common is their struggles as writers, eventually leading to a rift in their friendship. 

Though depicted as a dramedy, the blend of drama and comedy is not as seamless as the word suggests. Is This Thing On? felt like a series of independent, disconnected scenes without a firm sense of tone. Though the individual scenes themselves were well crafted, demonstrating the abilities of Campbell and Keaveny as both writers and performers, the lack of direction was somewhat jarring. It was as if the duo were simultaneously trying to do too much and too little - incorporating complex themes of sexual identity, and sexual assault, without satisfyingly grappling with them. An attempt was made to incorporate feminism into the narrative, but again, such a complicated topic was not quite addressed satisfactorily, feeling like an add-on as it delved into The Guilty Feminist’s podcast territory of “I am a feminist, but…” 

If we are to break the dramaedy down into separate comedic and dramatic components, then while there are genuinely funny moments, there are one too many times in which the intention to be comedic falls into the trap of being overtly shocking to garner a laugh. The humour intended to derive from moments that are too gratuitous and lack believability. Here, I will interject here with a reminder that humour is, of course, subjective. Some of the audience reacted very differently to me, so it is clear that this humour did land with many, just not quite with me. Believability too, was an issue in the depiction of the female friendship which appeared to have a complete lack of any boundaries. Though the chemistry of Champell and Keaveny did help to alleviate this issue as the two bounce off each other with ease. 

The true strength of the show came from the drama - in particular, the two scenes in which each character in turn reveals their struggle. Throughout the performance, we see both Campbell and Keaveny embrace different styles of performance - a rap, a song, a poem, for example. But it is in their individual spoken word performances that the real power and poignancy of the piece is revealed. It is a shame that these moments are not quite left alone long enough to allow the audience to absorb them, particularly in the final moments of the performance. Quick and jarring transitions contributed to the confusion of the intention and message, which ultimately detracted from some of these moments of poignancy. 

As performers, both Campbell and Keaveny were engaging and compelling, demonstrating their skills as both comedic and dramatic actors. Keaveny’s spoken word performance, in particular, was immaculately delivered, building steadily as her story reached an emotive climax. Her musical talent too, was impressive - almost to the point that the few opportunities she had to display her powerhouse vocals were not enough.

The small stage of The Hope Theatre was embraced in a simple but clever design (Maya Heritage) tailored to a limited space. For the most part, the division between their performances and their interactions within the flat was shown through standing on a raised platform, functioning as the open mic stage, which could also be pulled out into a bathroom. Perhaps some more consideration could have been made of the spacing to optimise the audience’s view, but considering the limitations of the room, the design worked well. Sofia Armella’s sound design was similarly successful in creating a sense of place between the performance venue, and the flat. 

Is This Thing On? is a promising first production by MissMatch. Despite struggling with a focus for their story, the writing of individual scenes was strong enough to suggest that both Campbell and Keaveny are talented writers. When combined with their strong performances, it’s clear that the duo have more to give and are certainly ones to watch for the future. 

Is This Thing On? Plays at the Hope Theatre until November 16th

For tickets and information visit https://www.thehopetheatre.com/productions/is-this-thing-on/

Photos by Aaron Shaw Photography