Review: LONDON ZOO by Farine Clarke at the Bread and Roses Theatre 7 – 11 Sept 2021

“The immensely talented ensemble of actors are stunning to watch, effortless. To have such naturalism and cohesive actors on a fringe stage is quite a feat” ★★★★★

The Bread and Roses has been transformed; the ever-versatile space is in traverse with a naturalistic office space raised in the middle. The set designed by the team deserves an applause. 

London Zoo is a play set in the offices of a newspaper at the turn of the century. We find The Board of this newspaper attempting to acquire a smaller newspaper which is growing in both circulation and revenue. 

Farine Clarke writes an outstanding script, it makes its point and has a real punch. We don’t get lost in industry jargon, yet it is very clear what is going on. The play focuses on prejudice and on equality, or lack of equality in this particular industry. The themes of the play really sneak up on you, the text is seamless and never jumps out as clunky or overtly theatrical. 

Speaking of seamless: Director Samantha Pears allows the play to flow by having small on-set scene changes, that are clearly marked by red lights and a ticking sound. The actors are alive in these changes and continue to interact, continuing to engage the audience. The play uses a number of scene defining props; to keep these so tidy and their tracks faultless takes a large amount of organisation and skill from the director. 

The immensely talented ensemble of actors are stunning to watch, effortless. To have such naturalism and cohesive actors on a fringe stage is quite a feat, credit once more to Clarke for the impeccable text and to Pears for setting her actors up to play with such freedom. Somehow, amongst all the mastery on stage, Mike Duran was a standout as finance director Charles. A top performance, we got to see Charles’ journey in real time, alongside his hilarious one liners and asides to Arabella. 

What I could do is write about London Zoo for hours, but it would be better for you to see it for yourselves. This run is sold out (returns only) but I’d recommend you see it next time. 

Presented by UnEqual Productions Ltd

LONDON ZOO by Farine Clarke

At Bread and Roses theatre, Clapham

7 – 11 September 2021

Box Office: 

Charles - Mike Duran

Arabella - Natalie Lauren

Sunil - Adil Akram

Kelvin - Cal-I Jonel

CREATIVES 

Director - Samantha Pears 

Writer and Producer - Farine Clarke

Technician and Stage Manager - Angus Chisholm

Reviewed by Aaron-Lee Eyles

Aaron-Lee is an actor, writer and director based in West London. They are passionate about diverse and innovative small-scale theatre. Aaron has had plays performed at The Cockpit, Bread and Roses and Hen and Chickens Theatre. He cannot wait to get started on his next project. Aaron-Lee is represented by Birdston Talent Management.