Review: Pity Party (The Bread and Roses Theatre)

Review by Roann Gutierrez

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A year after Pity Party first came to the stage, Emma Bailey has taken the further developed production to The Bread and Roses Theatre in Clapham. A mixed-media production that explores themes of chronic illness, loneliness, identity, family issues, and friendship in an ambitiously packed hour-long performance. However, will there be enough space to delve successfully into each complex theme? 

This production is a further developed version of Emma Bailey’s dissertation at Rose Bruford College. It was first performed over a year ago at The Rose Theatre and was originally only 22 minutes long, with an additional 10-minute spoken paper. Since then, the show has grown immensely within the space; however, the core cast and crew have remained the same from the start.

Emma Bailey’s writing is strong and impactful, with the most strikingly honest opening monologue. However, the difference between the pre-written dialogue and the improvised dialogue at times felt quite vast and could take us out of the moment. Another really special example of the stronger developed writing was the scene with Emma talking to Sparkie the teddy. It was heartwarming, yet a gentle reminder of how entirely different adults we grow into. Overall, the developed sections of writing are very strong and, at times, very humorous.

Bailey’s direction, with the support of assistant director Ismael Akram, worked well, in particular when capturing the themes of chronic illness, identity and friendship. By immediately addressing the audience, we felt closer to them and empathetic in the moments where they were outwardly showcasing their struggles. The audience participation worked well in the first half of the performance, immersing us in the party scene. Whilst participation was still enjoyable in the second half, it was Emma’s choreographed dance, symbolically smearing paint on themselves, that felt better suited for the moment and needed more space to be highlighted. 

As it is Emma’s story, they share the key character traits about themselves at the start: they’re 23, queer, disabled and most importantly, today is their birthday! Emma’s performance really showcases all their talents, but it’s the emotionally low moments that bring their writing truly to life. It’s filled with grit and heart, a true reflection of an artist who cares so deeply about their work. 

Ishmael Akram plays three roles: first, as the disruptive audience guest who holds a mirror up to Emma’s consciousness and gets them to dig deep. Then, as the voice of Sparkie and lastly as Ish, Emma’s friend. As a duo (trio if you include Sparkie the teddy!), Emma (Emma Bailey) and Ish (Ishmael Akram) have really beautiful chemistry together as their friendship feels genuine, and they riff off each other naturally. 

The set perfectly placed Emma as an unreliable narrator, from the messy clothes on the floor to the carefully placed bin by the head of the bed to the bottles of alcohol sat at the other end. It also reflected their character with the LGBTQ+ flag at the centre of the wall above the bed and posters with prompts for self-confidence written on them. The lighting was well executed, with a standout moment of Emma and Ish dancing in a light pink hue to ‘The Night We Met’ by Lord Huron. The only issue was that the sound was inconsistent and missed cues from the actors, which would sometimes take us out of the moment.

Overall, Pity Party is a showcase of playwright, director and choreographer Emma Bailey’s talents. Whilst it touches on several complex themes, there needs to be more space to explore each theme to the depth Bailey’s impactful writing can reach. Every show will be different based on the audience as it’s an ambitious autobiographical piece of theatre; therefore, I look forward to Bailey’s future work.  

Pity Party plays at The Bread and Roses Theatre until Thursday, 30th April. Tickets from the venue website HERE.

Photo by Lidia Crisafulli