★★★★★
Five stars
When I entered the BT, I was told by a fellow audience member that the play should be ‘quite good’. That was an understatement. Elephants is a bitchy domestic drama full of dark comedy and memorable lines. It is first class escapism premised on laughter at those in a worse position than yourself. In this case, we laughed at that most classic of satirical set ups: the dinner party. Director Anthony Maskell really made a meal of it .
Much of this humour comes from a deliciously excessive level of angst. Think of those awkward silences during a morning tute after a night at Park End. Like such tutes, the plot strikes a comic note between tragedy and farce. The cast consists of four talented actors who expertly portray linked but ultimately isolated characters at a dinner party. The hosts are the separated and soon-to-be divorced couple Laura (Olivia Homewood) and Greg (Alex Hill). The visitors are Todd (Anthony Maskell) and Jennifer (Maddy Walker). At the start, they are a mirror image of each other but it soon become clear that lurking in the depths of the two relationships are two very different issues.
The stage itself takes the form of two chairs, one table, and an unfortunate carrot cake complemented by many alcoholic drinks. The bare nature of the set brought into sharper relief the spot-on performances by the small but supremely talented cast. Olivia Homewood deserves particular praise for her ability to create hysteria worthy of a Greek tragedy. Her drunken dance moves could still use a bit of work though.
Maddy Walker meanwhile perfectly treads the line between a middle class stereotype and an actual human being; desperate for the lifeof her hosts without realising the true extent of what that entails. So much so that I often felt guilty when allowing myself laughter at her expense.
Maskell – director, actor, generally nice guy – depicts Todd perfectly and provides the standout performance despite having the least lines. His hulking presence takes centre-stage and we were all on the edges of our seats (I accidentally fell off mine in fact) in the hope of another line delivered in his gruff monotone.
Last of all, I must address Alex Hill. He has quite a pair, a pair of underpants that is. His neatly groomed legs left the audience baying for more. Overall, the play delivers a welcome relief from the Oxford bubble by allowing you to enter another.
The stand-out moment of the script was em- blematic of the absurd and delightful escapism on offer. In short, it connected Action Men toys and infantile sexuality. It made me to look back on my seemingly innocent childhood with a… different outlook. The overall juxtaposition of maturity and childhood is unmatched, for childhood petulance has been translated into the adult desperation with almost unbear- ably humorous results. In search of a light yet thought-provokingbreakfromwork, this play was just the ticket
