HoneyBee, written and performed by Eleanor Dillon-Reams, is a coming of age story that follows lovely Kate and her ‘ketamine kissed’ pals to a festival. Fuelled by drugs and young lust, Kate unpacks their evening, recounting the moments towards a tragic incident. Eleanor Dillon-Reams plays a variety of characters from cute boy Niall, to Dad, and Queen Bee Melissa, and switches between them with a clarity that keeps the piece easy to follow.
Laugh out loud funny in the most wholesome way possible
Dillon-Reams bounds across the stage energetically, all big hair and sequins, and moves her body fluidly and effortlessly during the moments of physical theatre. She reacts expertly to a phone going off in the audience with assertive, off the cuff humour. The piece is laugh out loud funny in the most wholesome way possible, especially when Kate decides coming up on drugs is like being a Berocca.
Music is used well throughout to assist in building the emotional atmosphere of the piece. The soundtrack of house and dubstep perfectly suits the vibe and the lighting effects added great energy to the piece. The Brighton Fringe audience are glittered up by Kate and made festival-ready, creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
While performing, Dillon-Reams is self-aware, relaxed and in her element. She is fully in the moment and delivers every word with sentiment and conviction. The script is well rehearsed and spoken in a clear, strong voice. The spoken word is pleasing to the ear as the sentences flow seemlessly and the rhymes are clever. Dillon-Reams intermittently breaks from the storytelling to step into the spotlight and perform impressive super-speed-spoken-word (without stopping for breath) using comedy to hit home hard truths of self-worth and identity.
There is a touch too much repetition towards the end of the piece, and as a whole it could have been a few minutes shorter. It slightly trails off at the end as the character becomes guilt-ridden and thoughtful, much like a comedown, although did go out with a bang, as we recited a beautiful, uplifting poem together as an audience. It was emotional and gave a great sense of community.
HoneyBee is a sparkly, well-rounded piece of theatre performed by the smart, playful Eleanor Dillon-Reams.
