BFI Flare: Just keep walking

These are unusually busy days for me, with this week's normal releases alongside watching films for the 39th BFI Flare film festival, which is running on London's Southbank until Sunday. Here are four more festival highlights, including the festival's special presentation film Dreams in Nightmares...

A Few Feet Away [A Metros de Distancia]
dir-scr Tadeo Pestana Caro; with Max Suen, Jazmin Carballo 25/Arg ***.
With the tentative energy of a young man who isn't quite sure who he is yet, this drama from Argentina draws us in with its easy authenticity. It may feel a little underwritten, but filmmaker Tadeo Pestana Caro has a strong sense of visual style, tapping into the attitudes of the characters. The editing feels a bit abrupt, jumping from scene to scene, but Caro is unafraid to take the story in some very dark directions. It's an unusually introspective, thoughtful drama.

Dreams in Nightmares
dir-scr Shatara Michelle Ford; with Denee Benton, Mars Storm Rucker 24/US ***.
Strikingly photographed by Ludovica Isidori, this drama has a wonderfully visual kick, pulling us in with dreamlike imagery and vivid textures that we can almost touch and smell. Writer-director Shatara Michelle Ford uses the loose structure of a road movie to send three characters on an odyssey into their souls, and into the soul of their nation. While the film is a bit meandering, it continually touches on resonant issues from knowing perspectives.

Viet and Nam
dir-scr Truong Minh Quy; with Pham Thanh Hai, Dao Duy Bao Dinh 24/Vie ****
Right from the opening shot, there's a sleepy, dreamlike quality to this film that becomes mesmerising, especially as dreams and visions feature strongly throughout this story. Shot on 16mm film, cinematographer Son Doan's eye-catching imagery mixes earthy beauty and grainy authenticity. And the narrative unfolds in the characters' faces. This is a resolutely gentle film, and viewers who can follow its quiet rhythms will find it darkly involving.

Mea Culpa
dir-scr Patrick Tass; with Patrick Tass, Randa Tass 25/Bel ****
A collage-style documentary, this film is a yearning statement from filmmaker Patrick Tass, who lives in Belgium, to his mother in Lebanon. It explores the geographical distance as well as how they hide things about themselves from each other. The images are beautifully shot and edited, capturing offhanded real-life moments as well as deeper thoughts, ideas and emotions. It's a fascinating exploration of identity, seen through filters of nationality and sexuality.

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI Flare page when published.

Stage: Laughing through the pain

Double Act
by Nick Hyde
director Jef Hall-Flavin
with Nick Hyde, Oliver Maynard
set Christophe Eynde
lighting Holly Ellis • sound Frederick Waxman
Southwark Playhouse Borough, London • 19.Mar-5.Apr.25 ★★★★

Fiercely inventive, this dark drama has the look and feel of a vintage comedy, with elements of Pierrot-style mime and Three Stooges-esque slapstick clownery telling a properly bleak story of a young man at the very end of his rope. It's sharply performed to keep the audience engaged, with a continual stream of smart visual touches that push the boundaries in ways that force us to think. And since it's exploring the nature of suicidal intentions, it's also vitally important.

Nick Hyde and Oliver Maynard appear on-stage as mimes, although they also have microphones into which they speak in a double-headed stream of consciousness that reflects the mindset of a single young man. Sometimes in synch, finishing each others' thoughts or diverging entirely, they represent a stormy internal monologue as this guy decides to skip work, wander through central London and then head by train to the coastline in Eastbourne. He speaks to his boss, dodges calls from his mum and runs into both friends and strangers along the way. This is how he has decided to spend his very last day.

What's most remarkable is that we never lose the thread, even as dialog spins between the actors and characters with a rapid-fire delivery of comedy and emotional resonance. This man is determined to walk forward, "neck straight ahead", and not let anyone disrupt him. But each encounter eats away at him, as do tiny things that happen along the way. All of this is written and staged in an intentional way that sometimes feels rather over-thought. But we feel every emotion, light and dark, and the cumulative effect is powerfully gripping.

The staging is very clever, using terrific props, little tricks and witty signage to propel things forward through a number of astutely hilarious set pieces. A section touching on tube etiquette includes a romantic daydream and a crazed moment of toxic masculinity. A scene in a public toilet is riotously funny. A white rubbish bin produces and collects props, becoming a symbol for self-criticism. And there are amusing running jokes about things like journalling and children's literature. Through all of this, Hyde and Maynard totally inhabit the two sides of this guy's mind, as well as a number of vivid side characters.

Both actors have such an openly emotive presence on stage that it's impossible for us to resist them. We feel each pang of their glee, anger and deeper pain. So even if we understand that this man's despair is rooted in his youthful point of view, we can see that it's very, very real for him. Still, there's something inside that keeps delaying him from his final destination. And by the time he wipes off the mask and gets real with himself, the play hits home with real force. It might be a bit gimmicky, but this show is urgent and essential.

For details, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE >

photos by Tanya Pabaru • 21.Mar.25

BFI Flare: Life's a beach

The 39th BFI Flare charges into its first weekend with a flurry of terrific films, many of which are attended by filmmakers and actors who are happy to discuss their work and chat with the audiences. Which is what sets this particular festival apart from others in London where the talent remains in a VIP festival all their own. Over the years covering this event, it's been great to see such a wide range of excellent films that approach queer topics from every conceivable angle. Here are four more highlights for this weekend... 

Hot Milk
dir-scr Rebecca Lenkiewicz; with Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw 24/UK ***
Beautifully shot on the Mediterranean seaside, this introspective drama is tightly contained within the perspective of a young woman frustrated that she doesn't have control of her own life. The film is packed with intriguing relationships, but writer-director Rebecca Lenkiewicz never quite allows the audience in, which makes it difficult to sympathise with anyone on-screen. Still, the big themes hold the interest, and the location comes vividly to life.

High Tide
dir-scr Marco Calvani; with Marco Pigossi, James Bland 24/US ****
With a lovely light touch, writer-director Marco Calvani takes an honest and unusually resonant look at the life of an immigrant, and the film is also gently tinged with issues relating to sexuality and race. Because the approach is so knowingly realistic, the film is funny, emotional, sexy and surprising. The film makes the most of its Massachusetts coastal setting, which is populated by recognisably authentic characters. And the delicate acting and filmmaking that make it memorable.

Departures
dir Neil Ely, Lloyd Eyre-Morgan; with Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, David Tag 25/UK ****
Warm and engaging, with some sharply pointed edges, this British drama plays out as a kaleidoscopic essay looking back at a relationship that was never quite right from the start. Clever writing and acting creates characters who are likeable and unusually complex, offering surprising points of resonance throughout the non-chronological narrative. And it's beautifully shot and edited too, anchored ably by sparky actor-filmmaker Lloyd Eyre-Morgan. 

Sad Jokes
dir-scr Fabian Stumm; with Fabian Stumm, Haley Louise Jones 24/Ger ****
From Germany, this bittersweet film plays on its comedic intentions by including a stream of jokes that are silly, brittle, bleak and absurd. These provide an almost meta running commentary to the story of a filmmaker who is trying to get his life back on track after a difficult breakup and the birth of his son. Actor-filmmaker Fabian Stumm has a wonderfully easy presence on-screen, allowing the audience to travel this journey without pushing any points.

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI Flare page when published.

Dance: Finding your feet

Cunningham Forever
Beach Birds and Biped
Lyon Opera Ballet
choreography Merce Cunningham

dancers Yuya Aoki, Jacqueline Baby, Kristina Bentz, Eleonora Campello, Jeshua Costa, Katrin de Bakker, Tyler Galster, Livia Gil, Paul Gregoire, Jackson Haywood, Mikio Kato, Amanda Lana, Eline Larrory, Almudena Maldonado, Eline Malegue, Albert Nikolli, Amanda Peet, Leoannis Pupo, Roylan Ramos, Anna Romanova, Gianmarco Romano, Marta Rueda, Emily Slawski, Ryo Shimizu, Giacomo Todeschi, Alejandro Vargas, Kaine Ward
music John Cage, Gavin Bryars
costumes Marsha Skinner, Suzanne Gallo
lighting Aaron Copp
Sadler's Wells, London • 19-20.Mar.25 ★★★

Part of the Van Cleef & Arpels' Dance Reflections festival, this programme features two pieces choreographed by Merce Cunningham. These are strikingly physical dances, demanding a lot of strength from the performers as they strike broad poses that are often balanced on one foot. Interaction is varied, with solos, duets and group numbers that swirl through a variety of shapes, occasionally finding a sense of group synchronicity. This individuality is clearly deliberate in both pieces, which makes the storytelling difficult to follow. As a result, the emotional impact is somewhat muted. These are pieces that are admired rather than strongly felt.

Beach Birds was created in 1991 in partnership with composer John Cage. Eleven dancers move around the stage on their own, arms outspread, sometimes partnering to create little scenes as pairs or trios. This allows each performer to infuse their work with some personality, which swells up when they flock together into a larger movement. Music is minimal, with single piano notes alongside some strings and rain sticks. Costumes are lovely, two-toned bodysuits in black and white. And the stage is bare, with only shifting colours in the backdrop.

Created in 1999, just after Cunningham's 80th birthday, Biped focusses on the human body, as the title suggests, playing on how weight is distributed between two feet. There are some 15 dancers coming on and off the stage behind a scrim, onto which gorgeous images are projected, both abstract shapes and gigantic dancing figures who seem to swirl around the performers the stage floor, which is marked in shifting patterns of light. The result is visually dazzling, with a surging live musical score and various groupings of dancers in apparently random groupings that are edgy and vibrant. Their shimmering costumes add to the striking visual effect.

There's a sense that Cunningham's challenging choreography is almost spoofing elite art performance, forcing the audience to continually question why seemingly inexplicable things happen on-stage. This is perhaps because, while there's a clear intentionality to all of it, the wider audience feels somewhat left in the dark regarding the meaning. We can admire the skill of the dancers, especially their endurance in such intense physicality, and the staging itself is beautiful. All of which makes it a wonderful celebration of the human form.

For details, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Agathe Poupeney • 20.Mar.25

BFI Flare: Get the party started

The 39th BFI Flare kicked off last night on the Southbank, with the international premiere of the Sundance hit The Wedding Banquet, with the entire cast and crew on stage for an intro, then back for a hilarious Q&A. I also got a chance to talk to director Andrew Ahn at the party, which was nice. The next 10 days will be a flurry of excellent LGBTQIA+ films from all over the world. Here are comments on three films - full reviews will be posted on the site soon. And Critical Week is below...

The Wedding Banquet
dir Andrew Ahn; with Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone 25US ****
In reimagining of Ang Lee's breakthrough 1993 comedy, director-cowriter Andrew Ahn cleverly updates the topicality while also playing up the plot's farcical entanglements. The resulting film often feels very silly, but it is continually underscored by resonant themes and involving emotions. It's also thoroughly entertaining, with seven complex central characters who are beautifully played by an ensemble cast that's heavily stacked with adept scene-stealers.

Really Happy Someday
dir J Stevens; with Breton Lalama, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah 24/Can ****
Quietly observational, this warm drama follows a young trans man who is struggling to redefine both himself and who he wants to be. Director J Stevens takes an offhanded approach, shooting scenes like a fly-on-the-wall documentary to add a striking sense of authenticity. It's also infused with Broadway songs that contain huge emotionality, allowing us to see into the soul of the lead character, who is played beautifully by cowriter Breton Lalama.

We Are Faheem & Karun
dir Onir; with Tawseef Mir, Akash Unnimenon 25/Ind ****
From India, this is the first Kashmiri film to openly explore sexuality. As with his 2023 drama Pine Cone, filmmaker Onir uses a gently understated tone to focus on the internalised thoughts and feelings the characters are grappling with. The film is strikingly well shot in spectacular locations, while the actors deliver warm, honest performances. So without overstating anything, the film creates a vivid sense of how a culture can sometimes feel like a prison.

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI Flare page when published.

~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~
C R I T I C A L  W E E K

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Flow • Layla
When Autumn Falls • Santosh
ALL REVIEWS >

Aside from Flare, this past week featured screenings of two films with Pedro Pascal. The multi-strand adventure Freaky Tales is clever and offbeat, while the comedy-drama The Uninvited is intriguing like an ensemble play. Disney's live-action Snow White was better than expected, although the animated dwarfs are all wrong. Robert De Niro gives two solid performances in The Alto Knights, which is otherwise a bit unremarkable. Alain Guiraudie's superb French drama Misericordia is complex and challenging. And the artificial intelligence doc The Thinking Game is brisk and eye-opening.

This coming week I'll be watching Jack Quaid in Novocaine, Jason Statham in A Working Man, Jason Isaacs in The Salt Path, the wartime drama Irena's Vow, the Andy Kaufman doc Thank You Very Much, and a lot more films at BFI Flare. Plus a few live stage performances.

Screen: March TV Roundup

Watching TV episodes in my downtime helps me clear my mind, and there has been a wide range available over the past few months. For obvious reasons, I prefer the light-hearted stuff, a bit of escapism. But diving into something serious is even more satisfying. Starting here with the new shows...

The Residence
Nodding immediately to Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and Benoit Blanc, this snappy whodunit is gloriously anchored by Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, aka the greatest detective in the world. And it has a killer premise, spiralling around a murder in the White House on the night of an Australian state dinner (complete with Kylie!). The terrific cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Randall Park, Bronson Pinchot and Ken Marino. The show's tone might be a bit glib for its own good, which leaves everything feeling somewhat pointless and silly. But it's so much fun that we end up hoping that Cordelia will be back for an all-new mystery very soon indeed. (Netflix) 

Paradise
The first episode of this thriller series is beautifully constructed, presenting the show's premise right at the very end with a twist that confirms our queasiest suspicions. From here the tension builds steadily, growing increasingly suspenseful until the climactic showdown in episode 8. Sterling K Brown is superb as the thoughtful, tough-minded hero, squaring off against the formidable control freak played by Julianne Nicholson. Plus a wonderfully steely and charismatic turn by James Marsden as the US president. Surrounding characters also have plenty of spark and energy, even if the plot can't help but dip into cliches along the way. And the ending is great. Bring on season 2. (Disney)

Prime Target
A veneer of intelligence lifts this thriller above the fray, and it helps that the cast is so good. Leo Woodall is a terrific lead, diving into his role as Cambridge maths nerd Edward, who can't quite understand why his research is threatening the entire world order. Neither can we, for that matter. But never mind! It's fun to watch these people run around trying to discover a new mathematical system while various vicious shadowy baddies try to stop them. Standouts in the cast include plucky young spy Quintessa Swindell, dodgy boss Martha Plimpton, tenacious scholar Sidse Babett Knudsen and floundering mentor David Morrissey. Plus ace veterans Stephen Rea and Joseph Mydell. (Apple)

Dexter: Original Sin
Produced in the style of the classic series, this prequel traces the young Dexter (Patrick Gibson) as he plots his way through his new life as a vigilante killer and police forensics officer. It's all rather bound to the original show's mythology, often straining to pay unnecessary homage to it, especially in younger versions of larger-than-life characters and the setting up several already iconic moments. It's still gripping enough to paper over the many plot and logistical holes. Excellent actors include Christian Slater as Dexter's dad Harry and Molly Brown as his hothead sister Debra. So having Sarah Michelle Geller and Patrick Dempsey on hand feels like a bonus. (Showtime)

The Madness
Colman Domingo offers a towering performance in this limited series about a news-network pundit who is thrown into a convoluted mess when he witnesses a grisly murder and then is framed for it. The central idea here is disinformation, as shady powers behind the scenes are manipulating the media, public attitudes and elections. And while there are some strong points here about the imbalance of influence billionaires can have, this is little more than the plot's MacGuffin. Domingo is the reason to watch this, along with terrific supporting roles for Marsha Stephanie Blake, Gabrielle Graham and Thaddeus Mixson, plus the superb John Ortiz and Alison Wright. (Netflix)

Black Doves
With its snappy plotting, messy characters and slick production values, this British spy series is a lot of fun as it follows sleeper agent Helen (Keira Knightley) while she tries to unpick the knotted truth about the death of her lover (Andrew Koji). Her cohort is the always fantastic Ben Whishaw, who adds all kinds of witty detail to his fixer character, while Sarah Lancaster provides her own unnerving steeliness as Helen's puppet-master handler. This is also a slickly made thriller, with pulse-racing action, humour and a glorious use of London locations. So even if the plot feels rather familiar, the show is hugely watchable, keeping us hooked through each Killing Eve-style twist and turn. (Netflix)

T H E   S T O R Y   C O N T I N U E S

Squid Game: series 2
The way the writers get back into this story is ingenious, although how they choose to end this seven-episode run feels like a cheat. Rather than set up a cliffhanger, they simply cut away in the middle of a scene, leaving us hanging until the concluding third season this summer. But they've got us hooked. This show is a riveting thriller that isn't afraid to get seriously nasty. Lee Jung-jae is a superior lead actor, sympathetic and often startlingly unpredictable, while both Wi Ha-joon's cop and Lee Byun-hun's puppetmaster get a chance to deepen their roles intriguingly. Best of all, it's impossible to predict where things might go next, as this game-to-the-death keeps throwing brutal twists into the mix. (Netflix)

Shrinking: series 2
Even sharper than the first season, this comedy rockets forward with much more complex plotting and characters who are layered and thoroughly engaging. Everyone in the cast is first-rate, with particularly strong storylines for leads Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, each of whom gets the chance to add depth to their therapist character, both in sessions with clients and in their often absurdly ridiculous personal lives. This allows the show to blend nutty humour with some earned emotions, and it also brings to life some strong supporting characters, most strikingly the one played by show creator Brett Goldstein. (Apple)

A N D   S O   I T   E N D S

What We Do in the Shadows: series 6
After the writers strangely copped out in last season's ending, this nutty comedy hits the ground running as these Staten Island vampires face a range of crises with their usual overconfident ineptness. The superb Kayvan Novak is at the centre this time as he struggles with his identity as an alpha-vampire, while Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry and Mark Proksch shamelessly steal scenes as his constantly disruptive and outrageously dim-witted makeshift family. Enjoyably, Harvey Guillem's Guillermo is even more quietly in control this season. This is the kind of show that could run forever, so it's notable that they opted to go out on a high. (FX)

The Sticky
The great Margo Martindale stars in this series about maple syrup farmers in Canada who go to war over their sticky product, leading to an elaborate heist that plays out like something from a Coen brothers movie, mixing jagged humour with vicious violence and general unpredictability (enter Jamie Lee Curtis!). Based on a true story, it's packed with colourful characters who are wonderfully untrustworthy, so the whole show feels like it will explode into chaos at any moment. It often does, simply because these people think with their emotions. And as a story of little people taking on a big, bad conglomerate, it's easy to know who to root for. (Prime)

C A T C H I N G   U P

Industry: series 1-3
With a fresh, unblinking approach, this British series came highly recommended, and I have enjoyed catching up on the episodes. While the writing is far too dense, and often downright smug, the cast adds nuance to the characters, bringing them to life amid the messy goings on in a London financial office, plus a blinding flurry of drugs and sex out of hours. Most intriguing is that no one is remotely likeable, but they manage to be sympathetic even if pretty much everyone tips way, way over the top along the way. Notably strong work from Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Harry Lawtey, Myha'la and David Jonsson, with great guest turns by Kit Haringon and Jay Duplass. (BBC)

Alpha Males:
series 1-3
I'd never watched this Spanish series, but a new season coaxed me to start from scratch. And the half-hour episodes zip along amiably. Each character is somewhat cartoonish, but this allows the writers to explore gender issues without taking things too seriously. They also offer some surprising nuance, puncturing political correctness as everyone becomes increasingly confused about how they are meant to treat each other. Both the male and female leading characters are likeable, funny and so deeply flawed that they're almost frighteningly easy to identify with. The rapid-fire dialog is hilarious, and the plotting is gleefully bonkers. (Netflix)

Fake Profile:
series 1-2
The first season of this Colombian thriller is compulsive viewing, a properly sexy guilty pleasure about a Las Vegas dancer (Carolina Miranda) who falls for a too-perfect businessman (Rodolfo Salas). Then when she pays a surprise visit to see him in Cartagena, all kinds of truths are revealed, leading to a twisty mess of nutty plotting, terrific characters and an outrageous climax. The second season, subtitled Killer Match, is very different as it settles into a serial killer thriller that's utterly preposterous. Characters lose all sense of coherence, and a feeling of both misogyny and homophobia creep in (women are tied up, gays are murdered). It's juicy but not much fun. (Netflix)

I GIVE UP: Severance 2
I am sure this show is a work of genius, but my patience simply ran out with its indulgently knotted plotting, out-of-sequence storytelling and generally mopey pace. The actors are so good that I really tried to keep watching, but the way this is put together makes it impossible to care about anything that happens. We can only admire it. Getting through the first season was a chore, and I only managed three episodes of the second. (Apple)

GUILTY PLEASURES: The Traitors (UK/US), Britain's Got Talent, Fool Us, Drag Race (17/Down Under), Dancing on Ice.

NOW WATCHING: The White Lotus 3, Adolescence, The Studio, Your Friends & Neighbours, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

COMING SOON: Mid-Century Modern, MobLand, Andor 2, The Last of Us 2, The Handmaid's Tale 6, The Conners 7.

Previous roundup: DECEMBER 2024 > 

Critical Week: I've got a bad feeling

It's been another unusually busy week for this time of year in the screening rooms, with a steady stream, of movies to watch. I'd been hoping to get a break after awards season, but we are powering forward at full speed. So any down time will have to wait. Big releases are screening late these days, with three that are coming out this week: Ayo Edebiri leads the cast of Opus, a blackly comical horror film that isn't very scary. But Edebiri makes it very watchable, as does a scene-chewing John Malkovich. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender sizzle in the snaky, intelligent thriller Black Bag, which refreshingly isn't about what you think it's about. And Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt lead an offbeat ensemble in The Electric State, a retro sci-fi adventure that's watchable but also forgettable.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Last Breath
Black Bag • Throuple
PERHAPS AVOID:
The Day the Earth Blew Up
ALL REVIEWS >

Other films included the perhaps too-emotional drama The Life of Chuck, with a superb ensemble led by Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan. The Parenting is an amusing meet-the-parents horror pastiche with Brian Cox, Edie Falco and Lisa Kudrow. It's funny and grisly, but never frightening. Infused with music, Throuple is an offbeat indie romance that knowingly bends the rules. And there were two Chinese films: the epic animated sequel Ne Zha 2 is visually dazzling, while the blackly comical thriller Brief History of a Family is riveting and surprising.

There were also two festival films. From South by Southwest, there was the sharply made teen comedy She's the He, and from WatchAUT, I enjoyed the offbeat drama of Peacock, starring the superb Albrecht Schuch. And I also caught two stage shows: Dear Martin at the Arcola Theatre and Drum Tao: The Dream at the Peacock Theatre.

This coming week I'll be watching two films with Pedro Pascal, the adventure Freaky Tales and the comedy-drama The Uninvited, plus Disney's live-action Snow White, Michel Hazanavicius' animated The Most Precious of Cargoes, Alain Guiraudie's Misericordia and the artificial intelligence doc The Thinking Game. In addition, the remake of The Wedding Banquet, starring Bowen Yang, opens BFI Flare film fest on Wednesday.

Stage: Crowd-pleasing precision

Drum Tao: The Dream
director Ikuo Fujitaka
performers Taro Harasaki, Junnosuke Kodani, Haruki Kawazu, Kyota Sonoda, Koki Sato, Haruto Mizuno, Takumi Azami, Ryusei Ishida, Daiki Sakai, Shima Sasaki, Ai Anekawa
lighting Ryo Harada • sound Kenichi Horiuchi
Peacock Theatre, London • 11-15.Mar.25 ★★★★

Drum Tao has been touring the world for more than 30 years, only just now finally arriving in London. And it's worth the wait. Their show is a hugely entertaining mix of taiko drumming, dancing and music, performed with a blast of personality as these 11 young performers infuse their athleticism and precision with cheeky wit. Since they're having so much fun, so are we. And they definitely know how to play to the audience, which makes it feel like they bring us up onto the stage with them.

The staging is relatively simple, making the most of spinning shiny backdrops, Matrix-like outfits and clever lighting. There is also of course a dizzying array of drums, accompanied by various flutes, stringed instruments and cymbals. Performers continually switch between the instruments, taking the stage for solo pieces, duets, duels and outrageously lavish numbers in which everyone joins together to create ripples of textures, rhythms, sounds and visual shapes. The patterns are complex, and the thrilling musical synchronicity is both exacting and carefully nuanced.

Movement is demanding and constant, with high-energy choreography that involves acrobatic gymnastics and displays of strength. So it's no wonder that they're all so lean and muscled, and they never break a sweat even though they're constantly in motion. The two women in the troupe get frequent costume changes, which provide some lovely colourful touches, one of the men has a beefy shirtless number, and a group of guys perform an ab-crushing piece that involves remaining in a half sit-up while gripping drums with their toes and pounding on them with huge sticks. These kinds of variations make sure that the show never feels repetitive over two hours.

They also happily play up their personalities, smiling and grandstanding to create impact as individuals within the group. And watching them live allows us to hear some of the more subtle tones in isolation, as they use a full range of methods to create seemingly endless sounds with one stick on one drum. All of this results in a show that's almost overpoweringly upbeat, both because of the nature of the music and the way the sparky performers maintain a connection with the audience. These are astonishingly skilled musicians and dancers. And at a time when we need as much happiness as we can get, their joy is infectious.

For info, SADLER'S WELLS> 

photos by Drum Tao • 11.Mar.25

Stage: A precarious friendship

Dear Martin
by Madeleine Brettingham
director Wiebke Green
with Alex Mugnaioni, Ben Simpson, Amelia Donkor, Edward Judge
set/costumes Kit Hinchliffe
sound Julian Starr • lighting Lucía Sánchez Roldán
Arcola Theatre, Dalston • 5-29.Mar.25 ★★★

A gleefully black comedy, this play by veteran TV writer Madeleine Brettingham centres around an unusual connection between two men who are caught in their own precarious situations. It's very funny, eliciting gut-level laughter largely at the offbeat disparity between these characters. And while the tone is arch, with broad performances and eye-catching staging, there are terrific themes running through the interaction. So even if the play never pushes the themes too far, the audience is provoked to consider friendship from an offbeat perspective.

On a white-on-white studio stage augmented by coloured lights, Dave (Ben Simpson) recites a letter he has written to Martin (Alex Mugnaioni), furious that Martin has been engaging in sexually charged correspondence with his wife, who has a history of adultery. Martin's reply oozes with charm and understanding, so Dave goes to visit him in a high-security mental hospital. And there is a clear spark between them. Over the following months, Martin makes a deal to help Martin fix his marriage if Dave convinces prison officials that Martin has an actual friend. But Martin never reveals why he's locked up.

Inventively staged with scenes that dissolve into each other, allowing characters to interact with each other on a range of witty levels, the story moves with propulsive energy, drawing the audience in deeply. These are hugely engaging characters, each with textures that are endearing, infuriating and hilarious. And they're played with out-sized charisma. Mignaioni makes Martin so magnetic that it's impossible to dislike him, even when we begin to understand his psychopathic tendencies. And Simpson gives Dave a relentless open-faced honesty, like a puppy dog whose only desire is to please. Their chemistry is fascinating, even when it drifts over the top.

Side roles provide context and interest, most notably the variety of characters Amelia Donkor disappears into, from Martin's acerbically sceptical doctor to a prostitute Dave attempts to hire on Martin's advice. And Edward Judge makes an impact as Martin's too-cheerful fellow inmate Ben and also as a journalist who attempts to get to the root of Martin's story. Here's where the writing, directing and acting are at their very best: even as we discover Martin's horrific true nature, he becomes increasingly sympathetic, because we are seeing him through Dave's optimistic eyes.

This is a fascinating exploration of what motivates us to make connections with other people, especially those moments when friendships emerge where we least expect them. These ideas add an involving emotional undercurrent to the production, which bristles with visual and verbal energy, including wry moments that involve the audience. And the story is punctuated by inventively edgy moments of drama, humour and intrigue. The overall tone feels rather smug, pleased with each clever turn of phrase or snappy visual beat. But it's also thoroughly entertaining.

For info, ARCOLA THEATRE >

photos by Charlie Flint • 7.Mar.25