Argos Archives, Omnibus Theatre Review
Jess Gough, Shakira Newton and Eleanor Nawal in Argos Archives.
Written by Cathie for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Trigger warnings: Sexual Assault/Abuse , Emotional Abuse, Gaslighting/Emotional Manipulation, Explicit Language, Financial Struggles, Emotional and Psychological Distress, Body Shame/Discomfort, Isolation/Loneliness
At the start of this 70 minute play we meet Woman, an unnamed almost 30 year old Neurodivergent adult with a range of diagnosed conditions. She is fabulous, kind witty and wants to get a job at Argos in order to be a good role model for her 4 year old son who also is Neurodivergent. On the night I attended it was a relaxed performance and the Omnibus Theatre definitely set a high bar for all my future experiences of it.
This entire play takes place in the short window before school pick up time and within Woman’s meticulously organised mind which is organised into files and cabinets (Lu Herbert). Within this snapshot, we meet Archives (Jess Gough) and Argos (Eleanor Nawal). They are her invisible friends and her coping mechanisms for navigating society. Archives helps Woman remember every detail no matter how obscure and Argos helps Woman translate the world around her and explain social situations for her to try to blend in. The cast are phenomenal in their seamless teamwork and use every nuance to make their characters as vivid and realistic as possible.
The entire conversation that forms the play revolves around Woman trying to figure out how to get a dream job at Argos to facilitate her end goal of becoming an archivist in a museum and showcasing how to achieve goals and make friends for her son who she loves dearly. However, details and challenges unfurl between discussions of the famous Argos catalogue, with editions 1996,2007,2010 and 2020 used to explore the life defining moments of Woman’s life. There are plenty of humourous moments explained well and the differences between neurotypical and neurodiverse brains are explored in tiny anecdotes. The flashback to Scalextric and Tamagotchis was particularly fun to watch.” Argos and Archives work within these stories and using wit and the power of 00s nostalgia to help Woman face and overcome dark moments in their past to find ways to move forward. She faces bullying and an assault and we see how the system has let her down again and again by not appreciating her skills or listening to her ideas. She is a very skilled woman with plenty of strengths, which we see in anecdotes about working in a museum and how much she clearly loves and well cares for her son. We also see that the end goal is looking for a likeminded community and the toll isolation that modern life encourages has a strong effect. Despite everything though Woman is resilient and powerful in her determination to keep trying and courageous in moving forward one step at a time.
Written by award winner Sabrina Mahfouz and directed by Caroline Bryant this is a spectacular short play which showcases the real experiences and challenges faced by many of the Neurodivergent community. This play has been shaped by actual lived experiences by many women and has a universal quality that many can associate with and really encourages much pathos and empathy for Woman and her imaginary friends without crossing into unrealistic or too idealistic territory. It’s a fantastic slice of life show that will leave you feeling hopeful and excited about Woman’s future but do check the trigger warnings as some of the experiences discussed are quite painful to hear.
If you enjoy proudly open dialogue with relatable characters, fond nostalgia for the 00’s and relating to the struggle for bettering oneself in order to provide for and role model for your children then this is the show for you.
At Omnibus Theatre until 15 March 2025
★★★★
