REVIEW: Subterranea at Whitley Bay Laurel's Theatre

Subterranea

Whitley Bay Laurel's Theatre

Until Saturday 28 September 2024

A clever play that examines how society behaves made a trip to Whitley Bay very worthwhile.

So imagine it is 2029 and five years has elapsed since Newcastle was hit by a nuclear attack. People were told to take shelter in the underground Metro stations and they are still there. Life has now evolved down there: they work, eat, live sleep down there. A new culture is now the norm as the people work for credits which in turn are used to pay for a small part of a metro carriage to live in and food from a food bank. One night a week they get a chance to dance and socialise but that is it.

We are made aware that there are other people above. The people above seem to be not only in charge but also dictating life underground. Those above are keeping these people in their place. 

Laurels is a small theatre space and setting this performance in such a space helps with the atmosphere. The confines of the haze filled room helps develop an intense feeling of something approaching claustrophobia. We are trapped in there with them squeezed into this place. This is very much a show that benefits from the performance space. Just like The Rooms in 2015 and in 2016  this is a show that benefits from the confines of the performance space and takes full advantage of it. Laurels is really making a name for itself as a friendly venue without being pretentious, and it knows its space well helping it to develop shows like The Club.

The strength of this show is that the audience can totally get behind the cast. Natasha Haws reminded us how great she is as an actor as her Sophie comes across as a strong independently minded individual who is also protective over her family - be it her mother or her other half. Likewise Judi Earl shows that her character Jean can have a strong set of values and work within a system that they find themselves in whilst working in the food bank. Completing the main cast is Adam Donaldson as Charlie - a chap whose circumstances have just changed and he confides he Sophie's mother rather than Sophie herself.

For this show to work the audience have to get behind these three local heroes. They have to accept the situation that they have found themselves in and to want them to escape. Thanks to a combination of writing and careful direction coupled with the performances from, in particular, Natasha Haws, you buy into the tale and everyone involved. The sound also adds to the stress that we all feel in the second act as well as the relief that the music offers.

Subterranea is a clever drama that works well at Laurel's, which in turn is a theatre that is hosting some wonderful theatre, a prices that won't break the bank, and needs to be on the radar of theatre going folk in the North East. 

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photos: Benjamin Michael Smith

Cast & Creatives

Co-Writers - Lucy Curry & Carl Wylie

Co-Directors - Lucy Curry & Paula Penman

Sound Design - Calum Howard

Lighting Design - John Rainsforth

Set Design - Richard Power (The Set Guise)

Stage Manager - Andrea Scrimshaw

Trainee Stage Manager - Ruth Silver

Assistant Producer - Andrew Dawson

Performers - Judi Earl, Natasha Haws, Adam Donaldson

Tickets Full price - £12; Concession - £8

No questions asked - £3 discounted certain shows to be announced: https://www.laurelswhitley.co.uk/theatre 

Age guidance: 14+ advised.

Access:

Captioned Performance: Thursday 19th September 2024

Relaxed Performance: all Saturday Matinees

Wraparound kids club: Saturday 21st September

Location: Laurels Theatre, 212 Whitley Rd, Whitley Bay NE26 2TA

Social:

Facebook: @PeachplantProductions

Twitter: @Peachplant_

Instagram: @peachplantproductions

Running Time: About 2 hours including interval

Content Warnings: Swearing, Pregnancy