Review: Tell Me Straight (Park Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

To read my review of Aggy visit https://www.allthatdazzles.co.uk/post/review-aggy-park-theatre

What a fascinating coincidence (if a bit of a reach, admittedly) that a pair of Paul Bradshaw plays has opened at London’s Park Theatre the same weekend as virtual band Gorillaz appeared as Saturday Night Live’s musical act. Both evenings, if you’ll forgive the strained connection, offered new material alongside an established favourite, with Tell Me Straight’s return to the stage mirroring the latter with its longest run to date.

Tell Me Straight follows its unnamed character, credited only as Him, through his attempts to undergo a month-long detox: no alcohol, no greasy takeaways, and no men. Alternating between flashbacks to earlier sexual misadventures and current-day struggles to surmise the state of several not-quite-situationships, Bradshaw’s text reminds us that we don’t always have a clear view of our own best interests, and that the opportunities we’re avoiding may be more viable than the ones we ignore them to pursue.

While there are some entirely disparate themes between this and Aggy, the other Bradshaw play being presented in the same space, there are also similarities in structure and presentation. Both are primarily two-handers, though each of them has a third character who is central to proceedings despite never being seen onstage – here, this is long-time friend Dani, appearing in voice-notes pre-recorded by Jade Anouka. Anouka brings life and character to these recordings, adding to the familiarity and closeness of the characters without being so over-expressive as to make us why Dani is so enthusiastic to leave a message.

Keeping Dani unseen is a wise choice from Bradshaw, allowing his main character to remain the focal point, and to put across through the storytelling how disconnected his misadventures with men have left him from those who truly care about him. There’s an easy quality to Bradshaw’s dialogue throughout the play, genuinely feeling like real people having conversations about the highs and, mainly, the lows of their lives. Tell Me Straight is described as “semi-autobiographical,” but Bradshaw seems to have struck just the right balance of detachment and willingness to criticise himself, and of being able to use his work to confront those who have mistreated him. It’s no small feat, and often a stirring one to watch come to life.

While his strengths as a writer are in abundance, Paul Bradshaw also proves more than capable as a leading man, taking us through the ups and downs (again, often the downs) in the character’s life without becoming preachy or histrionic in his approach. There’s a delicacy he brings to the character which allows for the myriad relationships to all blossom alongside one another without there being any doubt of his own morals in falling into these various pseudo-romances. Most importantly, Bradshaw imbues Him with enough likability and natural charisma that we are willing to sit and listen to him talk about the men in his life, and that we can see why each in turn would begin to feel something, if not quite the right thing, for him.

Particularly impressive work comes courtesy of Buck Braithwaite, who performs as Him’s oldest and dearest friend, and as the fellow actor whose sexual orientation Him’s friendship puts into question, and the “mate” who seems content to fool around in dark cinema screens then all-but ignore Him in the real world. There are other, smaller parts in the mix, but this trio of characters is more than enough to show Braithwaite’s remarkable range – and most importantly, he manages to present each as a fully individual character, whose voice, posture and mannerisms present entirely separate figures. Tasked with such rapid rotation and such wide-ranging emotional highpoints, Braithwaite is totally commanding, and totally chameleonic onstage.

Imogen Frances has taken on two jobs for this run, as both co-director of Aggy alongside Bradshaw, and as sole director for Tell Me Straight. Her work here is fluid but unobtrusive, keeping a clear sense of movement and location between the constantly changing scenes but giving the actors the necessary breathing room to rotate between these encounters. Perhaps the only real shortcoming of this production is that certain components components; sound design from Eamonn O’Dwyer, Cheng Keng’s lighting, and Damien Stanton’s set, are all better-utilised in Aggy’s premiere production. All of the above are fully effective in Tell Me Straight, but after watching the shows back-to-back it seemed clear that one featured more thorough use of these artists’ enviable skillsets.

Not only relevant to many now, but unlikely to lose its relevance in future runs, Tell Me Straight was a strong debut for Bradshaw when it first premiered, and continues to be a testament to his skills as both author and actor. With a clear vision and a striking pair of central performances, this is queer art at its finest, and something that should be seen far and wide, no specific is its voice but so universal is its message.

Tell Me Straight plays at the Park Theatre until March 28^th

For tickets and information visit https://parktheatre.co.uk/events/tell-me-straight/

Photos by Craig Fuller