Sex Toys Marloo Theatre

I don't usually go to one acts, but I'm glad I made my way up the hill for these. I enjoyed all the plays - but I liked 'False Hopes' the best. I found it really emotive and deep (though saying 'deep' makes me sound daggy - it really did have another layer). I found all the acting was of a high standard, and the Pinter-esque stylisation and the subtle human comedy really made the play different to the average one act. In reply to the earlier review: maybe Claudia was funny because people were uncomfortable with her realistic representation of how we've all felt at one stage: worthless, unloved and alone. I believe her performance moulded in perfectly with the feel of the play, as each character contrasted dramatically in their objectives and their overall performance. 'Pen Of My Aunt' was good too. The Madame was incredibly real on stage, like she had been doing it all her life! Beautiful presence on stage. The Stranger was a bit to expressive and pushed the boundaries of realism and the tone of rest of the cast. But it did work in it's own way, and gave the play a quirky edge. The whistled French national anthem at the end was a great final touch. 'Sex Toys' is an experience everyone should have (no pun intended :). The play tended to drag in the middle (script-wise), but overall it was fun. All of the cast held their own - even the less outgoing and more serious/ sensible character, Carol, was fantastic and wasn't outshone by the comedy of the Gillian and Cameron characters. But Gillian and Cameron were excellent, and everyone seemed to have so much fun! I almosted envied them up there... I highly recommend taking the effort to see these one acts - as a lot of hard work goes into them. And the end result is great!