The play is set in the in late 1980s and evokes the era perfectly, referencing music, fashion and events of the time. Action centres around a beauty contest in a Teesside crisp factory and the lives of five contestants are revealed. Secrets come to light, issues are explored, and there are plenty of laughs along the way. There’s even an unexpected delivery on packing line 2. Sensitive issues are handled with a lightness of touch that makes them all the more powerful and poignant. It takes courage to tackle things like child abuse, loneliness, rejection and illegitimacy through comedy and Miss Crispy 1988 should be applauded for doing so in a manner that means the laughs never feel gratuitous. Comedy is counterpointed by a particularly highly charged scene in the second act. Greater character development would strengthen the piece further, as this was the one weakness that stood out. This warm, funny and affectionate hymn to Teesside ends with the sense that each of the five women has more stories waiting to be told
BAZAAR & RUMMAGE (Lyricist/Director)
Review: Remote Goat – 4 out of 5 stars
‘Bazaar & Rummage’ by Less Is More Productions can only be described as a perfect tribute to the recently deceased Sue Townsend, most famous for the Adrian Mole Series. Here we watch the hilarious antics of some colourful agoraphobics who are organising a jumble sale, Townsend’s script allows for witty come backs, bitchy attacks and over-dramatic hormonal displays. It would be easy to over-act these strong characters, however, under director David Tuffnell the protagonists deliver life-like acting with heart wrenching moments of irony intermingled with perfectly timed humour. The surprising aspect of this play was the music. As the audience braces itself for the beginning of the first solo pieces, Victoria Holtom wows us with her ode to Barry Manilow. Yet, Holtom is not the only star of the stage (much to her character Katrina’s annoyance,) Sarah York as the swearing single-mum, Holly Robson as an OCD widow, Wendie Middleton as the hypocritical Christian and Rosie Fox as a straight talking social worker were born to sing live, mastering complicated harmonies with pitch perfection. This well-oiled production highlights the array of talent local in the area which could be easily lost in a blander play. Less is More should be holding their heads high with this production; a real treat for anybody lucky enough to see it. The only disappointment was that the play had not sold out- which given the quality of the production and the enjoyment factor was a real surprise.
STELLA (Writer/Director)
PQA VENUES @ RIDDLE’S COURT 3/5 stars
Atmospheric 1960s piece tantalises with some interesting character dynamics
There’s something immediately arresting about Stella, written and directed by David Tuffnell, and brought here by Teeside’s Less Is More Productions. Soporific sea sounds set the tone and three 1960s factory girls (two young women and an old ‘un) disembark a charabanc at Giant’s Causeway on a work trip away. It’s a time-and-space specific, but non-obvious set up that grabs the interest, further heightened when we’re able to immediately detect a certain atmosphere between them. Stella (Laura Lonsdale) secretes a letter in her handbag as the others join her at the water’s edge. Doreen (Victoria Holtom) is irritable and irked at something. The older woman, Jean (Doreen Frankland), is distant and mono-syllabic in a way that suggests at least mental distress, perhaps even dementia; it’s never quite clear. Both younger women seem protective of the older lady, Doreen with a lot less patience and a degree of patronising. And those dynamics hold as we learn some of their back story. It would spoil the gradual unravelling to reveal too much of this, but suffice to say the play touches on grief, romance, and the 60s’ changing attitudes to sex. The two younger women are nicely positioned as friends whose attitudes differ even as their predicaments intersect to some extent. Holtom is particularly impressive, channelling the raw spirit and attitude of the kitchen-sink era, with none of the chintzy nostalgia that these kind of roles have often been imbued with since. Lonsdale’s a nice contrast in the title role, but has been given some whimsical lines which lend themselves to staginess and fit oddly in the context of the piece. Frankland’s mono-syllabism is harder to get a hold on, though there’s a tragedy to her which is very effective, particularly when the other two fuss over her. She gets a genuinely eye-dampening moment, and you fear/hope that the story may end up dumping you off an emotional cliff into a sea of blubbering. That doesn’t quite happen, with an ending that, while satisfying, has scope for a second act or sequel. Perhaps Less Is More is a statement of intent as well as the company name. There’s some well-crafted dynamics at play with these characters that tantalise rather than fully resolve. Within the confines of this hour, Stella’s flights of fancy distract and Jean’s inaccessible distance poses questions. It’s a beautifully atmospheric piece that somehow still keeps you at arm’s length.
Dilek Latif (Twitter Post) on STELLA
Went to this this gem of a play this afternoon. Raw and beautiful story telling from characters you wouldn’t normally see on stage. Beautiful
Olivia McHale – Tees & Cake
A Stella-r performance from Less Is More Productions
Edinburgh Fringe is known for its mix of performances from music and comedy, to dance and magic, and it’ll be the first time that the local theatre company, Less Is More Productions, heads up there with their brand new piece, Stella. The group will only be there until the 16th, but that means you still have enough time to get a hold of some tickets! We were lucky enough to grab tickets for the preview at the newly refurbished Middlesbrough Town, so if you’re heading up to Edinburgh in the next couple of days and are still looking for top shows to see, you may want to check out our review below. Don’t be fooled by the minimalistic set and small, all-female cast of three. This piece is guaranteed to take you on a 45-minute long rollercoaster of emotions and leave you with a sense of girl power. We’re set up to believe that this escape from the social trip to The Giant’s Causeway is a pleasant one – just a group of women chatting about life and sipping Bovril as they look out across the sea – but what unfold is something much deeper. From the costumes to the topics of conversation, there was no denying that this piece was set in the 60s. The little nods to the North East, like Redcar and Cargo Fleet Lane, also provided a brilliant insight into how life was in Middlesbrough, especially for women, but despite this, it was clear that this was a show designed to appeal to everyone. There were historical elements to bring a sense of nostalgia to more mature audience members, comedic lines for the younger people, and certain pieces of dialogue that would make any woman think “that’s exactly how I talk with my friends!” We’re presented with complex characters that are each battling their own demons, much like in real life, and it’s hard not to fall in love with each of them. Each of them have outstanding pieces of dialogue that are delivered with such conviction that you can’t help but be fully empathetic about what these characters are facing. It truly is a remarkable piece of work and something that we hope to see plenty of rave reviews about! Prepare to feel moved and grounded, all within the space of less than an hour. Like with every good piece of entertainment, there is an equally great writer and director behind it. We caught up with David Tuffnell, the brains behind Stella and the co-founder of Less Is More Productions to find out more about his work and how he feels about Edinburgh Fringe.
