A refreshed and refreshing new take a look at Kae Tempest’s gorgeously lyrical Wasted at Jack Studio Theatre
“You know what your drawback is, mate? You simply sit round, anticipating life to occur for you.~Waiting for all of it to simply land in your fuckin’ lap…“
MICA Theatre’s title stands for Matters I Care About, this brand-new theatre firm selecting to make an apposite assertion with its debut manufacturing, reviving Kae Tempest’s ode to South London-living in a theatre in deepest Lewisham. I first noticed Wasted again in 2014 by way of YouTube (when digital theatre was nonetheless a novel idea!) and was totally blown away by my first style of Tempest’s lyricism and voice. What is thrilling about this manufacturing is the way it maintains a lot of that while making some boldly totally different selections.
Danny, Charlotte, and Temi are all going by way of one thing of a quarter-life disaster, notably as they mark the ten 12 months anniversary of their finest pal Tony. Finding themselves someplace of their mid-20s and realising that life hasn’t essentially panned out the best way they thought it could, they every come to a set of crossroads that intersect with every others but in addition provides a divergent path. But to take a path means making a call and the three of them want to determine whether or not they are often, and even wish to be, sincere with themselves about the best way ahead.your self, is it a alternative even price taking
There’s a deep be aware of tragedy that sings by way of Wasted that I’m unsure I totally clocked earlier than (a consequence of being the mistaken aspect of 40 versus the mistaken aspect of 30…?!). The sense of pissed off potential for these each alive and gone, of social stratification being so rattling arduous to flee, of chasing a degree of happiness that doesn’t all the time recognise how good you might need it already. Tempest’s punchy poetry is stuffed with layered vibrancy and achingly well-realised characterisation which exhibits us goals in addition to disillusionment.
Toby Clarke’s manufacturing performs to that as properly by introducing Tony onstage, embodying that looming presence he bears of their lives – it’s fantastically finished. (Kudos for flipping Ted to Temi too.) With TJ Roderick and Joseph Peck’s sound design and Rupert Cross’ compositions, a cracking vitality is conjured – matched by the saturated hues of Pablo Fernandez Baz’s pitch-perfect lighting – and it’s arduous to not wish to tumble head-first into the (relative) freedom of their hedonism (or possibly I’m simply getting outdated, hehe).
Clarke is aided immeasurably by the extent of efficiency he has teased from his solid, vitally singing with authenticity which actually isn’t all the time that straightforward to do. Ted Reilly’s Danny dreaming of success with a band which all the time appears simply out of attain, Isabella Verrico’s Charlotte eager for escape from the humdrum actuality of being a instructor, Seraphina Beh’s Temi somewhat too afraid that domesticity is all that awaits her. And Ruaridh Mollica’s ethereal and near-wordless Tony, a robust reminder of simply how a lot we maintain these we’ve misplaced.