Produced by Take A Seat Productions for the Camden Fringe, Lost and Found presents a contrasting pair of plays in a 55-minute slot.
Soultide, the first play, is a satire on the music business written by Elijah Lifton and Lisa Gillham. Directed by Anna Hampton, it is set on a yacht that belongs to spoilt singer Tara (Evie Day)’s uber rich dad.
With manager Zan (Alexander Maker), saxophonist Luka (Lifton), and bass player Billie (Lucy Gant) matters of ambition, attraction, money and exploitation are explored in a play which does well to focus itself in such a short running time.
Tara is an archetypal rich brat, ignoring the hired maid, Rachel (Nina Amos in a nicely comic turn), helping herself to Billie’s most loved dress, and pleading ignorance of how to operate a washing machine.
I was unclear about how the band got together, and the various romantic entanglements are not made explicit, but Billie and Luka’s backstories could stand up to further exploration.
There was an interesting use of music, notably ‘Spooky’ by Dusty Soringfield and ‘Sex Bomb’ by Tom Jones, to covertly comment on the action, and while I was secretly a bit disappointed not to hear a blast of ‘Baker Street’ on the sax, the pressure of being good in a cut-throat world was well presented.
I also liked the opening and closing scenes, with a voiceover for Zan to start and an ending that comes out of left-field. The idea of meritocracy being unconnected to money is glumly apt even outside of this business.
In Voice, written and directed by Ethan Simm, we are in a voice class as RIDE (Royal Institute of Dramatic Excellence), led by Tully (Day in a second role). Her keen young acting students, five in number, are set to share the stories of where they came from, and what’s important to them.
Given quite a serious note and a sense of ensemble support, Voice dips into the stories of Aryia (Niamh Spillane), Arlo (Amos in a more significant and serious role than in Soultide), Jax (Milly Thorpe), Phoenix (Lauren Maguire) and Charlie (Gant again).
Topics include parents, sexuality, anxiety, and identity. With just one static spotlight and the light from mobile phones, Voice makes the most of the Etcetera Theatre’s tiny stage.
As the company are all recent graduates of LAMDA and the majority still in their late teens, Voice can be seen as an affectionate dramatisation of their training and the bonds that exist between those seeking a creative career.
Across the two plays, I enjoyed Day and Gant’s performances, and also felt Maguire and Thorpe (at one point letting go a musical powerhouse voice I’d love to hear again) were excellent in Voice, while Maker was, aptly, a good skeazeball on the make in Soultide.
Lost and Found has all the markings of a pair of plays that could be successful on their own with only a few tweaks and additions. Casting eight performers in this way is risky but I think it more than pays off.
For me, Voice is currently the stronger piece of the two, but there isn’t much in it and either are worth your time as these young creatives explore what the world means to them.
***.5
Lost and Found at the Etcetera Theatre, Camden Town until 25 Aug with details here.