Twisted Tales was a power packed two-hander show from Owdyado Theatre that took the idea of the thriller genre and turned it inside out by twisting it into two deliciously dark plays with a comedic twist. The hour whizzed by as we wondered why a man was obsessed with someone who left him all alone and how far two children's presenters would go to not get their show struck from the TV network.
two deliciously dark plays with a comedic twist.
Daniel Richards and Charlotte Bister teamed up to create a dynamic force that not only entertained, but made the audience gasp in horror as the dramatic moments unfolded in a beautiful 'performance venue within a venue' - that is, a circus tent within One Church in Brighton. Using this type of space in this way not only made the show more intimate, but created an interesting metaphor for the phrase 'life is a circus' - made famous originally by the cartoon character Charlie Brown - especially when the more dramatic moments became more intense and heightened.
Richards channelled his inner Jack Black as he took to the stage firstly with an extremely intense character that drew us in with his loud and upbeat behaviour that got us guessing as to what could be wrong with him. A very child-like character who wanted validation each time from the lady he lived with, did strange things like going to the toilet in different parts of the house and happily awaited with excitement for something that was 'not to be mentioned.' But in the second piece switched to playing ultimately two characters - a positive children's TV presenter, who voiced a blue bear hand puppet with a deep voice that sounded a little out of place. However... as this one progressed, the bear took on a character of its own thanks to Richards' efficient and swift changes that kept us engaged.
Bister on the other hand took on roles that complimented Richards well. In the first piece, she showed her frustrations towards this child-like character as she came back from the office and kept trying to write her report. The way she treated him came across in the first instance as dismissive and angry as she was constantly challenged with everything that happened at once - such as him sniffing her in unusual places like her knee and knickers. Then it changed to her ignoring him as she chatted on the phone to a friend about her day in the office with her crush. In the second piece, her presenter role was upbeat, yet strange as she gave arts and crafts a new twist with creating ransom notes for someone and encouraging negative behaviour towards a sibling. Behind the scenes, her off-screen persona changed to someone who was damaged and vulnerable as she and Richards tried to deal with moving a body they had very recently killed.
Both Richards and Bister handled their roles so well, that when the twists in the tales were finally revealed, they left us wanting more.
