REVIEWS
EXPERIMENT HUMAN
Aaron Lee-Eyles
Everything Theatre
July 21 2022
4 stars
This surreal, quirky and at times bonkers show from Hooky Productions uses impressive comedy and outstanding physical performances to break down complex questions of what it means to be human.
Musician Natalie Russo starts the evening off by letting us know that this a relaxed performance and that we are free to leave or move around at any time. She then reveals that the show will be starting…now.
A body is seen on stage, and we’re led to believe that it is actor Benedict Cumberbatch. There’s a story about how he got there and what has happened since, and this is told by two Monkien. The Monkien (he/they) are non-human creatures that live in the attic. They don’t have family and often seem grumpy. What Monkien do have, however, is an interest in what makes us human, and a little bit of an obsession about their new friend/pet, Benedict Cumberbatch.
The lighting design by Lilli Fisher is extremely clear and effective, moving us along to different areas of the story, and there is obvious differentiation from when the audience are being spoken to or being directly involved. Audience participation is key to this show, and although I’m sure some may have felt uncomfortable at times, it is always a safe humorous environment. Most importantly, the intentions of the actors are consistently clear.
With the play being so surreal and highly subjective with its content and meaning, there are still things about it that I am trying to work out. Yes the play is hugely unpredictable, but it’s very funny too. It certainly makes you think as well as laugh. The jokes on the night landed well. More credit is due as the audience had such a wide age range, yet everyone was enjoying themselves; in terms of the humour, there was something for everyone.
The text was clever, allowing us to be laughing one moment and then thinking about complex problems regarding the human species as a whole the next.
The two central performances from Maya Hallpike and Rosa Thomas are outstanding. These characters demand so much both physically and vocally and the actors deliver. They exude confidence and skill, while joined on stage throughout by Russo who plays violin well, yet mirrors the off-beat and uneasy vibe the actors set.
This was the show’s first night at The Cockpit, the first two being cancelled due to the extreme weather (global warming is real!), although you wouldn’t have thought it. The production was composed and certainly hit the ground running.
Experiment Human is an extremely well made, bold, unique, surreal comedy that explores the things that make us human, and what makes us happy. The team holding it up are incredible and the central performances extremely admirable.
https://everything-theatre.co.uk/2022/07/review-experiment-human-the-cockpit.html
Everything Theatre
July 21 2022
4 stars
This surreal, quirky and at times bonkers show from Hooky Productions uses impressive comedy and outstanding physical performances to break down complex questions of what it means to be human.
Musician Natalie Russo starts the evening off by letting us know that this a relaxed performance and that we are free to leave or move around at any time. She then reveals that the show will be starting…now.
A body is seen on stage, and we’re led to believe that it is actor Benedict Cumberbatch. There’s a story about how he got there and what has happened since, and this is told by two Monkien. The Monkien (he/they) are non-human creatures that live in the attic. They don’t have family and often seem grumpy. What Monkien do have, however, is an interest in what makes us human, and a little bit of an obsession about their new friend/pet, Benedict Cumberbatch.
The lighting design by Lilli Fisher is extremely clear and effective, moving us along to different areas of the story, and there is obvious differentiation from when the audience are being spoken to or being directly involved. Audience participation is key to this show, and although I’m sure some may have felt uncomfortable at times, it is always a safe humorous environment. Most importantly, the intentions of the actors are consistently clear.
With the play being so surreal and highly subjective with its content and meaning, there are still things about it that I am trying to work out. Yes the play is hugely unpredictable, but it’s very funny too. It certainly makes you think as well as laugh. The jokes on the night landed well. More credit is due as the audience had such a wide age range, yet everyone was enjoying themselves; in terms of the humour, there was something for everyone.
The text was clever, allowing us to be laughing one moment and then thinking about complex problems regarding the human species as a whole the next.
The two central performances from Maya Hallpike and Rosa Thomas are outstanding. These characters demand so much both physically and vocally and the actors deliver. They exude confidence and skill, while joined on stage throughout by Russo who plays violin well, yet mirrors the off-beat and uneasy vibe the actors set.
This was the show’s first night at The Cockpit, the first two being cancelled due to the extreme weather (global warming is real!), although you wouldn’t have thought it. The production was composed and certainly hit the ground running.
Experiment Human is an extremely well made, bold, unique, surreal comedy that explores the things that make us human, and what makes us happy. The team holding it up are incredible and the central performances extremely admirable.
https://everything-theatre.co.uk/2022/07/review-experiment-human-the-cockpit.html
SIS!
Eleanor Sheppard
Edfringe Review
August 22 2019
4 stars
If you never had a sister growing up, well, come to this charming sketch show and find out what it was like. And if you did have a sister, come to this show and relive the horrors through some first-rate humour and improvisation. I sincerely hope that your bond was as strong as sisters Rosa and Maya Thomas, thick as thieves, with all the bickering that comes with it.
Wonderfully observed and employing the type of humour which is accessible to all, Sis! covers moments in the lives of the Thomas sisters from Rosa’s preparation for Maya’s birth, to present. A narrative set out in chronological disorder, the show forms a necklace of creatively strung out scenes, beaded together by some odd, but hilarious snapshot moments. Take this snippet, for example: Leaning against one another, staring vacantly in front of them, Maya says, “Rosa, I don’t know why you’ve got me here to watch fish sleep anyway.” “They’re so beautiful,” Rosa replies, mesmerised. The two sisters then proceed to pinch their faces and drift across the stage like their scaly friends.
The short sketches move the show on at a good pace, which means that it does not matter if one or two scenes are too bizarre to fully understand. Aunt Flora (Maya), and her beef, chicken and rat spleen strudel and a character called Munkin (also played by Maya), are peculiar editions. I believe that he is a type of housekeeper for the Thomas household, although his role is unclear. “When we did the previews, a lot of people said that Munkin should go, but we kept him”, Maya jokes, still in character. He might not make sense, but he is definitely amusing.
Two articles of clothing only are required for a costume change: a plain cardigan and a minion onesie. When there is insufficient comic timing to fully don these articles, the Thomas sisters simply wrap them around their necks to signify the character transition. Simple, but effective, and they skilfully use any awkward mishaps to their advantage: “I don’t know what the hell is going on…that was a stressful moment…talking of stress, do any of you do yoga?”, or “We need to work on the punching, don’t we?” Rosa and Maya bounce off each other like pros, and it is a real privilege to see them in action.
At one point in the show, Rosa comments on how it’s unfair that Maya gets all the character roles and she has to act as the “straight guy” all the time. Maya replies that it’s because Rosa did not go to drama school. If this is true, you cannot tell. Sis! contains some brilliant and witty one liners, and the jokes range from those unique to the Thomas family, to common moments in adolescence, experienced by many: “Did you ever do that thing at school where you knock on the staff room door? I did.”
All of this culminates in a diversified, humorous performance with a personal touch. Light-hearted and warm, Sis! is a show that I would thoroughly recommend- especially with the level of talent on offer, next year it might not be free.
Edfringe Review
August 22 2019
4 stars
If you never had a sister growing up, well, come to this charming sketch show and find out what it was like. And if you did have a sister, come to this show and relive the horrors through some first-rate humour and improvisation. I sincerely hope that your bond was as strong as sisters Rosa and Maya Thomas, thick as thieves, with all the bickering that comes with it.
Wonderfully observed and employing the type of humour which is accessible to all, Sis! covers moments in the lives of the Thomas sisters from Rosa’s preparation for Maya’s birth, to present. A narrative set out in chronological disorder, the show forms a necklace of creatively strung out scenes, beaded together by some odd, but hilarious snapshot moments. Take this snippet, for example: Leaning against one another, staring vacantly in front of them, Maya says, “Rosa, I don’t know why you’ve got me here to watch fish sleep anyway.” “They’re so beautiful,” Rosa replies, mesmerised. The two sisters then proceed to pinch their faces and drift across the stage like their scaly friends.
The short sketches move the show on at a good pace, which means that it does not matter if one or two scenes are too bizarre to fully understand. Aunt Flora (Maya), and her beef, chicken and rat spleen strudel and a character called Munkin (also played by Maya), are peculiar editions. I believe that he is a type of housekeeper for the Thomas household, although his role is unclear. “When we did the previews, a lot of people said that Munkin should go, but we kept him”, Maya jokes, still in character. He might not make sense, but he is definitely amusing.
Two articles of clothing only are required for a costume change: a plain cardigan and a minion onesie. When there is insufficient comic timing to fully don these articles, the Thomas sisters simply wrap them around their necks to signify the character transition. Simple, but effective, and they skilfully use any awkward mishaps to their advantage: “I don’t know what the hell is going on…that was a stressful moment…talking of stress, do any of you do yoga?”, or “We need to work on the punching, don’t we?” Rosa and Maya bounce off each other like pros, and it is a real privilege to see them in action.
At one point in the show, Rosa comments on how it’s unfair that Maya gets all the character roles and she has to act as the “straight guy” all the time. Maya replies that it’s because Rosa did not go to drama school. If this is true, you cannot tell. Sis! contains some brilliant and witty one liners, and the jokes range from those unique to the Thomas family, to common moments in adolescence, experienced by many: “Did you ever do that thing at school where you knock on the staff room door? I did.”
All of this culminates in a diversified, humorous performance with a personal touch. Light-hearted and warm, Sis! is a show that I would thoroughly recommend- especially with the level of talent on offer, next year it might not be free.
Tom Pymer
August 22 2019
The first test for any comedy: is it funny? I am pleased to say that Sis passes with flying colours. It’s absolutely hilarious, end to end. I was roaring with laughter at pretty much everything. Rosa and Maya (the titular sisters) have a real talent at making anything seem absolutely hilarious: their impersonations of their family members, their younger selves, their endless poking of fun at Cambridge professors and the theatrical establishment, threats to kidnap Benedict Cumberbatch and lock him in an attic… it’s all there, it’s all absolutely ridiculous, and it’s all utterly fantastic.
It’s supported by great stage presence from the two. They are incredibly charismatic: bouncing around making utter fools of themselves and quite obviously loving every minute of it. They do the most ridiculous things, and they make everyone love them for doing it. Even when they slipped up, their sheer presence of character allowed them to just carry on and make something out of it. These two love what they do and have a brilliant relationship that allows them to carry on cheerfully.
The downside to this show lies in the fact that it falls into the trap that so many other sketch shows and improvisations do: it is too slapdash. On occasion they seem to have no idea what's going on, and while they turn this into a joke, it did break things up too much and loses a lot of what is meant to be there. If anyone with less force of character had tried it, it might have fallen flat. Scenes where they actually argue about what they want to do break the fourth wall, and their swapping from character to character with a lack of coordination lets down the scenes where they are so completely in sync.
It isn’t clear whether the various characters being played are actual scenes from the girls’ lives which are caricatured, whether they are things they’d made up, or some strange mix of the two. Different characters come into the show, and whilst they are hysterically funny, as an outsider I feel like I'm maybe missing a deeper joke that would have been obvious to their friends and family; it reminds me a lot of little performances I used to do with my brother and sister. As a result, anyone who isn’t a family member might understandably feel left out.
The dark and gloomy court of the Banshee Labyrinth is also not the right place to perform something like this, and the lighting leaves the actresses’ faces in darkness half the time. I will acknowledge that they can't help where they perform; nonetheless, a lighter and less claustrophobic room would’ve done the performance a lot of good, as would lighting that allows us actually able to see.
If you want to laugh and laugh for a long time, go and see ‘Sis’. It’s hysterical, but at the end of the day it's just two friends fooling around. Never mind. They seem to enjoy it, and it’s definitely the kind of thing only two sisters who know each other that well could have produced.
https://www.edfringereview.com/review/e/e4nVkmmTs8eJzOL9u2PU
August 22 2019
The first test for any comedy: is it funny? I am pleased to say that Sis passes with flying colours. It’s absolutely hilarious, end to end. I was roaring with laughter at pretty much everything. Rosa and Maya (the titular sisters) have a real talent at making anything seem absolutely hilarious: their impersonations of their family members, their younger selves, their endless poking of fun at Cambridge professors and the theatrical establishment, threats to kidnap Benedict Cumberbatch and lock him in an attic… it’s all there, it’s all absolutely ridiculous, and it’s all utterly fantastic.
It’s supported by great stage presence from the two. They are incredibly charismatic: bouncing around making utter fools of themselves and quite obviously loving every minute of it. They do the most ridiculous things, and they make everyone love them for doing it. Even when they slipped up, their sheer presence of character allowed them to just carry on and make something out of it. These two love what they do and have a brilliant relationship that allows them to carry on cheerfully.
The downside to this show lies in the fact that it falls into the trap that so many other sketch shows and improvisations do: it is too slapdash. On occasion they seem to have no idea what's going on, and while they turn this into a joke, it did break things up too much and loses a lot of what is meant to be there. If anyone with less force of character had tried it, it might have fallen flat. Scenes where they actually argue about what they want to do break the fourth wall, and their swapping from character to character with a lack of coordination lets down the scenes where they are so completely in sync.
It isn’t clear whether the various characters being played are actual scenes from the girls’ lives which are caricatured, whether they are things they’d made up, or some strange mix of the two. Different characters come into the show, and whilst they are hysterically funny, as an outsider I feel like I'm maybe missing a deeper joke that would have been obvious to their friends and family; it reminds me a lot of little performances I used to do with my brother and sister. As a result, anyone who isn’t a family member might understandably feel left out.
The dark and gloomy court of the Banshee Labyrinth is also not the right place to perform something like this, and the lighting leaves the actresses’ faces in darkness half the time. I will acknowledge that they can't help where they perform; nonetheless, a lighter and less claustrophobic room would’ve done the performance a lot of good, as would lighting that allows us actually able to see.
If you want to laugh and laugh for a long time, go and see ‘Sis’. It’s hysterical, but at the end of the day it's just two friends fooling around. Never mind. They seem to enjoy it, and it’s definitely the kind of thing only two sisters who know each other that well could have produced.
https://www.edfringereview.com/review/e/e4nVkmmTs8eJzOL9u2PU
SIS! (PREVIEW)
Simone Fraser
Daily Info
30 July 2019
The name, SIS!, makes it pretty clear what Rosa and Maya Thomas’ hour long sketch show is about. Describing itself as 'following the mad, painful and hilarious transition from babyhood to adulthood', a series of short sketches portray moments in the sisters’ lives from babyhood (hence the onesie-clad Maya in the cover photo) to the present day. We follow the duo through their Cambridge and drama school interviews, childhood dance routines, and all manner of wacky situations that many of us can relate to. Indeed, the show is at its best when it touches on issues that many of the audience can relate to, be that the light-hearted portrayal of the Harry Potter game, or the dark humour that comes from discussing how youth mental health issues are treated.
However, the sketch show is also absurdist in unexpected ways. Recurring characters like Ape and Monkion give the show a pleasantly ridiculous feel. As well as the general humour that you expect, there is excellent physical comedy, particularly from Maya, who frequently returns to her toddler state, asking to ‘play plastic horses’ and sobbing when Rosa leaves for school for the first time. It combines to make a pleasantly unique, but still accessible performance, with a universality of experience appealing to all.
The duo performed for the first time at Fusion Arts on the Cowley Road to a full-house on Saturday and Sunday, and although there were a few first performance issues that stemmed from the task of remembering a huge volume of short sketches, overall it was a remarkably polished first performance. Using the feedback of the crowd to perfect the show, SIS! will be heading to Edinburgh to perform with PBH's Free Fringe at Banshee Labyrinth, 19th-25th August, and I’d recommend that you all go and see it!
https://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/feature/15444/sis
Daily Info
30 July 2019
The name, SIS!, makes it pretty clear what Rosa and Maya Thomas’ hour long sketch show is about. Describing itself as 'following the mad, painful and hilarious transition from babyhood to adulthood', a series of short sketches portray moments in the sisters’ lives from babyhood (hence the onesie-clad Maya in the cover photo) to the present day. We follow the duo through their Cambridge and drama school interviews, childhood dance routines, and all manner of wacky situations that many of us can relate to. Indeed, the show is at its best when it touches on issues that many of the audience can relate to, be that the light-hearted portrayal of the Harry Potter game, or the dark humour that comes from discussing how youth mental health issues are treated.
However, the sketch show is also absurdist in unexpected ways. Recurring characters like Ape and Monkion give the show a pleasantly ridiculous feel. As well as the general humour that you expect, there is excellent physical comedy, particularly from Maya, who frequently returns to her toddler state, asking to ‘play plastic horses’ and sobbing when Rosa leaves for school for the first time. It combines to make a pleasantly unique, but still accessible performance, with a universality of experience appealing to all.
The duo performed for the first time at Fusion Arts on the Cowley Road to a full-house on Saturday and Sunday, and although there were a few first performance issues that stemmed from the task of remembering a huge volume of short sketches, overall it was a remarkably polished first performance. Using the feedback of the crowd to perfect the show, SIS! will be heading to Edinburgh to perform with PBH's Free Fringe at Banshee Labyrinth, 19th-25th August, and I’d recommend that you all go and see it!
https://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/feature/15444/sis