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Show: All By Myself / All By Themselves
Society: Breakaway Theatre Company
Venue: The Inn on the Park
Credits: Robert Scott
Type: Sardines
Author: Samantha Cartwright
Performance Date: 26/05/2023
All By Myself & All By Themselves
Samantha Cartwright | 27 May 2023 14:37pm
Ashworth twin P (Paul Murphy), Ashworth twin E (Elaine Hartless), Larry the Loner (Malcolm Coakley), Miller (Ruth Ling), Nicholson (Zara Gooder) , Pemberton (Maude Collins Pallett). Photo credit: TBird
Breakaway Theatre Company has been established for thirty years and produces a wide variety of challenging and exciting productions. Often using alternative local venues to create site-specific and outdoor performances. They are presenting two castaway plays by Robert Scott at Inn on the Park, an intimate outdoor space in St Albans, Verulamium Park. All by Myself and All by Themselves are two consecutive comedies that are full of sun, sand, sea and silliness and as Larry discovers there’s more to the island than first meets the eye
The first Act is All by Myself. Alone, desolate and without a friend, Larry is cast away on a desert island or at least that’s how it first appears. After many years alone Larry is close to the edge, boredom is hitting him hard but not as hard as the shock of discovering he isn’t on his own, in fact he never has been. A whole array of characters have been watching him from afar, giving him a nickname, Larry the Loner, for seven long years just waiting for the right moment to approach him. Soon after the introductions it becomes apparent that the other islanders are not quite the kind of people Larry is used to associating with and he begins to wish he was alone after all.
The second Act is All by Themselves. Still trapped on the island after the other shipwrecked folk took his raft, Larry can’t stand the fact that he’s still not alone, more people emerge from the other side of the island and they are even more maddening than the first group. Added to the fact he has let the raft go, he is infuriated. The raft didn’t go as far as he thinks though, and things become more crowded by the minute.
The simple stage is set, a few lights, cardboard palm trees and a pub style picnic table covered in island like materials, we are surrounded by picturesque views of the park, it all feels so welcoming and utterly charming.
The script and plot is easy to follow and absolutely hilarious in a pleasantly old fashioned manor, the type of humour that requires good actors with strong facial expressions and perfect comic timing which fortunately this cast has in abundance. Larry – Malcolm Coakley is the central character and portrays a stereotypical grumpy older man with ease, I can feel his frustration yet he still manages to make us all laugh. Ashworth E – Elaine Hartless and Nicholson – Zara Gooder provide more than enough silly funniness to provoke the entire audience into laughter. The whole cast has funny bones, this is clearly one of this groups strengths and they play to it as they should. There are points where a couple of lines go wrong, the wind blows the scenery off the table, a random dog runs into the performing area and truthfully it all adds to the experience for me. It isn’t a slick performance but it shouldn’t be either, it’s perfect the way it is, slightly chaotic but totally authentic. I praise the directors Margie Skinner and Kathryn Hearn for constructing this thoroughly enjoyable production.