It is never a good sign when you sit in a dark theatre thinking, ‘What the hell am I going to write about this?’ Those were unfortunately my thoughts in the opening scene of ‘No Picnic’.
The Tabard Theatre in Chiswick is currently hosting the world premiere of this new work by Greg Freeman, an allegorical comedy which explores the crisis of conscience of teddy bears. And trust me the realisation of the idea is as mad as it sounds.
There have been strange happenings in the woods, teddy bears Alfie, Ludovic and Julius have witnessed a disturbing incident that has seriously shaken their beliefs and very being. It transpires that they witnessed a clown murder or suicide, but as teddy bears (who are apparently unable to lie), they cannot protect themselves against the probable charges. The teddy bears seek the help of a very strange doll who, in return for payment (a clown’s liver), offers various methods of deceit to save their skins.
It was a very bizarre ninety minutes. Freeman clearly intends to provoke our thinking on various moral and belief systems, but the endless repetition causes the play to drag and consequently the messages are confused and inadequately conveyed. It is a shame because visually there are some imaginative ideas; lack of money and resources have restricted the realisation too, causing the production to look a little scrappy and amateur. A huge open book alone provides the backdrop to the action, the heavy pages awkwardly turn to reveal new settings.
The cast, all graduates from Guildhall School of Acting, have a tricky job with Freeman’s non-sensical script. Teddy bears Dan Frost as Ludovic and James Sygrove as Julius are much more convincing once their great furry heads are comically removed; its just a shame we had to wait forty-five minutes to see their human faces. Perhaps it is the eye contact or maybe they are just more comfortable without the claustrophobic headgear, either way the acting from this point on is much more engaging. Rhys King is the most promising actor as the belligerent clown, he also has the best costume, a beautifully pleated handmade newspaper collar, and a menacing melancholic face of make up. I found Helen Russell-Clark infuriating as Greta the weird doll, she flounces about obsessively clutching her skirt and sucking her thumb, character acting taken too far.
Continues until 7 April, book here.