Review: A LITTLE RAIN IN MONACO at The Pleasance Theatre 11 - 14 May 2022

‘A show that tells the truth on stage, even if the world doesn’t want to hear it.’  ★★★   1/2

‘A Little Rain in Monaco’ is a contemporary LGBTQ+ play that discusses class, identity and mental health whilst putting a spotlight on the people stuck between success and desperation. What happens to someone who dedicates their life to being ‘seen’ by a world that doesn’t want them?

I think what a play like this does well is force-feed the audience the bitter truth about society. We as a nation aren’t the nicest yet we deny this and if there is one thing the British as a community have in common it is the ability to ignore what we don’t want to see. Elan Butler’s script doesn’t give you this luxury as he rips the band aid off and exposes the ugly underneath of these characters. I loved the lack of fear with the idea of cancel culture, the idea that of pushing the audiences’ boundaries by simply telling things as they are. It was real, it was honest. My issue with the story was how it did so with such toxic characters. I completely understand this was the point, to expose people for who they really are under the surface, but it left me struggling to empathise or connect with any of the characters. We are in the age of the antihero but even an antihero has their redeeming qualities, and I didn’t get that in the lead character of Klaus.

Klaus, played by James Baxter-Derrington, is a washed-up B list actor with very little going for him. He has a brand-new show coming out but his life lacks empathy, love, direction, meaning. He pushes the people, who matter to him most, away due to his fear of trusting others. As we meet the people in his life, we see his mental health dissolve quickly and he turns on them one by one. Baxter-Derrington had a big task with this role bringing life to a rather callous and soulless character. I think he did a great job at exposing the venom whilst highlighting the cracks in the characters façade. I genuinely didn’t like the character but in my opinion that means the actor did a great job of showing the characters ugliness.

The puppy dog lover Simon, played by the innocent Tommy Papaioannou, was the perfect remedy to the heaviness of the piece. Personally, I wanted to see the character diluted more throughout the show to break up the tension with his naive and comical one liners. Papaioannou brought a wonderful airiness to the character, a sense of positivity in Klaus’ life, a glimmer of hope. You could feel the audience warm to Papaioannou the moment he entered the stage as we really routed for his characters wellbeing.

Molly Keough did a great job with Cici, Klaus’ stoic manager. I think she may have had the best character development as her cold tough loving exterior seemed to ultimately come from a place of passion and concern which I found Keough performed perfectly with naturalism and subtly. Nothing ever felt forced and Keough brought many different levels to the character.

Finally, we meet the duo act of Billy and Conor played by Charlie Francis and Joshua Dowden. I think these were the dash of energy the piece needed to keep it alive with their loud and obnoxious personalities. At first, I struggled to accept Francis’ Billy. I think it took a second for the actor to really settle into the role but once he got into it, he really came to life. Francis did a great job at conveying the characters exhaustion towards his friends and their antics yet his yearning to not lose them. I think Francis quickly became the most comfortable on the stage, once he sunk his teeth into it, his performance was genuine and possibly the most authentic. Personally, Dowden as Conor stole the show. His characterisation was heightened and extremely entertaining to watch, I found myself on edge with excitement as I wasn’t sure what he would do or say next. However, at the same time in the darker moments I could see Dowden really relish in the characters discomfort. When Billy is prodding him, I could genuinely feel his anguish and it was beautiful to watch. He did a fantastic job with the role.

Overall, I think the performances where very strong and successful, all actors worked well as an ensemble to carry the heavy weight of the story. My biggest issue was the toxicity of the show as I felt it just ever so slightly pushed the boundary of being entertaining to the point, I asked myself do I care about any of these characters? It, at times, also felt like there were too many sub stories that never seemed to have a real purpose to the overall plot for example Conor comes out but then appears to be unsure moments later when asked by Klaus and then it’s never addressed again as if it didn’t happen? I also struggled with some of the direction. I think Butler and Xavier did a wonderful job at using natural space and driving the story through the emotion of the characters, but it was sometimes lost with the small moments of physical theatre that felt very out of place, unnecessary and somewhat GSCE? I think there is some amazing potential bubbling here, but it just needs to find a balance between the realism the audience needs and the escapism the audience wants.

A LITTLE RAIN IN MONACO

The Pleasance Theatre

11 - 14 May 7:30pm

Box Office https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/little-rain-monaco#overview

Production Team
Writer/Director - Elan Butler

Assistant Director - Samuel Xavier

Producer - Julia Bentley

Technical Operator - Jasmine Kint

Cast
Klaus - James Baxter-Derrington   

Conor - Joshua Dowden           

Billy - Charlie Frances           

Cici - Molly Keogh             

Simon - Tommy Papaioannou 

Reviewer

Adam Hannigan is an Actor/Writer/Director leading his own comedy company 'Ear to Ear Productions'. He fled the green fields of Ireland to the dazzling cobbled streets of London, breaking a heel in the process. His work focuses mainly on LGBTQIA+ themes with his latest show 'Game Night' earning multiple 5 star reviews. He thoroughly enjoys comedy from slapstick to dark and twisty, add a splash of horror and he is sold. or a cat... add a cat and he is putty in your hands. @adamhango