Review: Reality Bites (Arches Lane Theatre)

Review by Dan Ghigeanu

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Most of us have wondered what it's like to be on a reality TV show, but have you ever wondered what happens to the people who go on these shows and fail, or are not getting quite what they expected out of it? Me either, but I find the concept really interesting. Written by Jamie Christian and directed by Andy McLeod, Reality Bites offers a view on the mental health struggles of reality TV show contestants and how the aftermath of being on these shows not only affects their lives, but also the people around them.

Reality Bites is a dating show where contestants appear naked, having parts of themselves revealed bit by bit to the one contestant looking for a match, until two of them remain to be chosen from, at which point the contestant choosing also gets naked before the final verdict. The story gets told from four different points of view, in order of appearance those are Chris (Luis Donegan-Brown), Max (Simeon Willis), Patti (Laura Shipler Chico) and Joshua (Robert Eades). The cast give strong performances, each of them taking the stage one by one, telling their bit of the story.

All of them shine a light on different struggles, like homophobia and how that affects your life after the event, broken marriages and cheating, religion and self-acceptance and the need of a support group. The characters are all connected one way or another through Reality Bites, whether that is just from the POV of a viewer, contestant, knowing someone that has been on it and changing the way you approach them, or even finding out someone close to you has taken part in the dating show. The connection from character to character gets a bit confusing and messy at times and some of them coming to no conclusion at all, with Chris being the most disconnected character from the other three.

Patti, played by Laura Shipler Chicho, has the most well-rounded story out of the four. Being a contestant on the show and struggling with her religious beliefs, recently divorced from her husband and afraid of labelling herself as anything, she goes on the shows looking for a perfect match in a woman. Laura Shipler Chicho brings Patti to life beautifully with a versatile performance, drawing a lot of laughter from the audience. Patti’s story is the show's most complete story arc.

Although the cast give strong performances and draw quite a few laughs, I could not resonate with the show. I felt like the characters needed to be fleshed out a bit more for me to connect with them. All of them tackle critical issues and themes, but I do not know enough about them to understand how much of an impact their actions have on their life.

The lighting design (Ed Tuke) and set and costume design (Phil Newman) are minimalistic but work very well for this production. Before entering the stage for their monologues, the cast appear behind colourful panels doing their signature poses. This transition is used in the beginning of every scene, and it is highly effective in setting out the tone.

Reality Bites is a bold concept with a lot of potential and a talented cast of performers and creatives, but unfortunately I left the show craving more of a conclusion and without finding my perfect match.

Reality Bites plays at the Arches Lane Theatre until July 20th

For tickets and information visit https://www.archeslanetheatre.com/realitybites

Photos by Tunde Euba