REVIEW: BEAK SPEAKS at Hen and Chickens Theatre 9-13 May 2023
‘Sarah Thom is a performer in whom even the most uneasy audience member can feel the greatest confidence’ ★★★★
‘Beak Speaks’ is presented as a masterclass in the fundamentals of performance by seasoned actor and performer Gillian Beak. Upon arrival, audience members are personally introduced and invited to join energies together via a ball of twine, which loops among the auditorium, a sort of winding seatbelt in case anyone is thinking of trying to escape.
It is not a question of whether the show is suited to the venue, rather, this is a show specifically rooted to the kind of fringe theatre in which it is performed. There is a sense that this specific kind of performance would feel out of place in any room other than the dinky space above a pub. The character we meet in Gillian Beak is one who relentlessly circuits the country, travelling from one town hall to the next, attracting audiences of maybe a dozen on a good day. She speaks directly to the theatre-makers in the audience, subsisting on rehearsal room snacks and poor-quality sleep in uncomfortable digs.
Audiences uncomfortable with character-based comedy might feel squeamish when confronted with Beak, in a hyperbolic RP accent, thrusting her way through the chakra in a well-worn leotard. There’s also the constant threat of audience interaction, which, naturally, some audience members will embrace, while others will cower away from. However, Sarah Thom is a performer in whom even the most uneasy audience member can feel the greatest confidence.
The show is remarkable also in its particularly good treatment of pathos alongside the comedy. This is a story specifically about a life lived outside the mainstream, about what it looks like to doggedly pursue your passion, even when there is little to sustain you.
Read Sarah Thom’s article ‘Actor’s Life’ based on her real life experiences HERE
Beak Speaks by Sarah Thom, is at Hen and Chickens Theatre
9 – 13 May 2023
Box Office: https://www.unrestrictedview.co.uk/beak-speaks/
Sarah Thom: https://www.sarahthom.co.uk/
Reviewed by Natalie MacKinnon
We are very proud to announce that LONDON PUB THEATRES MAGAZINE is now an OFFIE AWARD WINNING publication
A ONEOFF Special Award has been awarded to London Pub Theatres Magazine and Editor Heather Jeffery for providing a vital forum for highlighting the excellent work that happens in rooms in pubs, with sensitive editing, and an acute sense of the importance of tiny fringe venues to the health and development of British Theatre