It’s been a long time since I saw a preview so polished that it could be transferred to the stage that very same evening. Yet this production of Amelia Bullmore’s Mammals could well make it. The scene seems familiar enough: a frantic family breakfast with Jane and her two young children, Betty and Jess, full of tantrums over bananas, refusals to get dressed and probing questions about ‘hairy fannies.’
Husband Kev comes home from a business trip to reveal that he loves another woman and, right on cue, friends Lorna and Phil arrive 9 hours early. It reminds me almost of a Friday night television sitcom offering, starring a certain Hugh Dennis. Do not be fooled, however – Mammals is far from the ordinary. It’s hard to know where to begin with such an accomplished performance.
The acting is sublime; there is not a single weak cast member. Sam Carter is genuinely very funny and utterly convincing as quick-witted and charming Scotsman Phil, and Rhys Bevan as Kev gives a masterclass in dramatic timing, especially when it comes to Scene Two and his confession to Jane. A special mention must also go to Martha Ellis-Leach and Jessica Norman playing Betty and Jess, who both manage to successfully convey pre-pubescent children without giving into the temptation to lisp, skip everywhere and overemphasise the vowels in every other word.
Crucially, the direction by Ruby Thomas is very smooth, maintaining good fluidity of action and uncluttered blocking despite the restrictions and chaos of the acting space, allowing her to tease out the very best from her performers. A note, of course, must also be given to Bullmore’s writing. While at times the plot can seem a little rushed (perhaps because this production is an abridged one-hour version of the original), there is nonetheless a real energy and originality to the scenes she writes, which move seamlessly from the farcical to the moving, and fizz with fantastic one-liners – ‘We’re a three-year-long one night stand.’
And to complement it all, the no frills, simple yet effective set gives a real intimacy to this production, something that thankfully will be well preserved transferring from a small room in Regents Park College to the Burton Taylor. If the rest of the play continues the trend set by this fifteen minute preview, you will definitely want to get your tutorial work done early. This is top-drawer student drama.
4 STARS
