Sparks At The Brockley Jack Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Beth Cowan
A hilariously awkward story of sisterhood, grief and football playing fish. Sparks by Simon Longman lets us take a peek into the life of Jess (Emma Riches) and Sarah (Lisa Minichiello), estranged sisters meeting again after 12 years, beautifully directed by Julia Stubbs.
The play only takes place over the course of one evening, but they certainly make up for lost time. Emma Riches as the older, erratic, hair-brained sister, coming back to her hometown after a decade- Riches takes on mammoth amount of text in this play, and she really does pour her soul into every speech. Jess is a hilarious character that you can’t help but relate to as she recalls some of her wild adventures around our little island. Boisterous and often lacking in empathy, Jess is challenged when she sees the mess she left behind and tries her best to pick up the pieces the only way she knows how. There were definitely a few monotonous moments when I got a little distracted by other things on the stage, the speeches are long but Riches did a great job of bringing you right back in when the energy dipped.
Even though Emma Riches takes control of the text in this play, it is by no means a one woman show- Lisa Minichiello gives an astounding performance as the quieter sister who appears to have her life together. Even when Sarah is not talking, Minichiello is hanging off every word her sister says, and you can almost see inside her mind, the questions she’ll never ask, fighting their way out. This dynamic alone is enough of a reason to go and see this show… If you have siblings, even if not- the sense of loss that Minichiello’s character radiates truly makes you want to pick up the phone and call that one person who truly means the world to you. As beautiful as Lisa Minichiello is at listening and looking inward, she definitely gets her fair share of dialogue towards the end of the play, where we finally see the cathartic realise of emotions and desperation that have been bubbling under the surface. The way the play gets more disjointed as we continue felt a little jarring, I think it was a bold idea that was mildly executed… I do wish they had wholly leant into the choice of breaking down the realism of the play instead of relying on the sound and visual effects to do so.
Now, it’s not all doom and gloom and trauma… Never fear- this play truly takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and I found myself snorting with laughter throughout – from scrapping with swans to inappropriately named chip shops, Stubbs and all the cast do an amazing job of drawing the humour out of this text and making the audience feel like we are in the room with these sisters. I took up some slight issue with parts of the text that felt like very unnatural dialogue, but once you release your inhibitions and accept you are watching a piece of theatre, the poetry of these speeches can be quite beautiful.
This play has been produced by Upper hand Theatre company- an emerging group whose focus is telling female stories and representing ALL woman- ‘Sparks’ was a fantastic choice for this company as it showcases how women handle grief and that being a woman is not always the same universal experience… we are not all cookie cutter, maternal, nurturing humans. We have flaws and can be brash and aggressive, this makes us no less ladylike!
The show is running for 2 weeks, a limited 10 show run. It’s playing at the Brockley Jack in Brockley, a little far out from central London- but the 85 min run time gives you enough time to catch that last train home! I’d definitely recommend getting your hands on some tickets before they sell out!
Rating: 4/5
Preview tickets- £12
Tickets- £17 Conc- £15
410 Brockley Road, London SE4 2DH
Theatre
Sparks is at Brockley Jack Theatre London from Tuesday 2nd- Saturday 13th July.
For more information or to book tickets visit brockleyjack.co.uk or call the box office on 03336663366