Nels Place, Sheep Soup Productions Review

Reviews

20 Mar

Written by Katie for Theatre & Tonic

Disclaimer: No obligation to write a review but we loved it that much and received gifted tickets so we wanted to chat about it!

Amidst a diverse musical backdrop spanning blues, jazz, rock, soul, and rap, Nels Place dives headfirst into the world of hoarding disorders. At the centre of it all, Nel is preparing for her granddaughter Molly’s 16th birthday, and we embark on a poignant journey, exploring the challenges of reconnecting beyond the clutter of possessions.

2 musical worlds exist within this show; a naturalistic world that comes from Molly, and a surreal, abstract world, where objects sing and have their own hoarding obsessions. Nel’s hoarding tendencies have personified her possessions in the form of the band ‘The Crongoes’, and these fabulously quirky characters bring to life the inner thought process of our main character, providing meaningful insight into her past and why she thinks the way she does.

I have to say, the Crongoes were by far my favourite part of the show! They were utterly insane, each with distinctive characteristics, which revolved around a mix of sarcasm, wit and playfulness, with a sprinkle of dark humour thrown in for good measure.

Eccentric and surreal, we were introduced to ‘Edge’, the kettle (Ben Welch), ‘Boxhead’, the chair (Keaton Guimarães-Tolley), ‘Switch’, the light (Lawrence ‘Trev’ Cole), ‘Blue’, the vase (Aminita Francis), and ‘Spadge’, the mirror (Zoe West), and the talent between this team is absolutely and undeniably incredible. Each of these performers was not only a 10/10 vocalist, but also played their own instruments, forming the music of the show itself. Add that to the outstanding music and lyrics of Rob Green and Nic Harvey, and Sheep Soup has got themselves one stellar soundtrack. This show gave us absolute bops like ‘Chuck, Cherish, Charity’, ‘Use it or Lose it’ and ‘Rock Bottom’ and the second they bring these songs out on Spotify, they will be on permanent repeat in my house.

What I really loved about this show was (despite all the singing objects), it was very real and very human. Esther Coles as Nel brought a charming innocence to the character, and we connected with her from the start, feeling deeply for her situation, and like she could have been our own grandma. The character was really endearing and I loved the simple things that brought authenticity, like calling her family members ‘ducky’. It’s clear Coles had a deep understanding of the text, having written the book herself, and although her voice was perhaps not as strong as the rest of the cast, this actually reflected the fragility of her character really well.

Playing Molly, Molly Vivian had a lovely, juicy blues tone to her voice, similar to known singer Izzy Bizu, and this was shown off particularly well in their first solo. They were the ideal link to keep the story flowing, which could have been in danger of becoming static otherwise, constantly curious to learn more and uncover details about her gran.

This was contrasted well by Emma Bispham, playing Nels daughter Anna, who brought with her an entirely different stance; dismissive and ultimately sick of the whole thing. These two could have potentially played off each other better, but it did give us a sense of their strained relationship, which was key to the story.

On the whole the show was really unique and engaging, but took an odd turn in the second act, which moved more into a fantasy world inside Nels head at the ‘Rock Bottoms Bar’. We had dead husbands and dead cats singing with the objects, but now they could be seen by both Molly and Anna. Although it was an unconventional way to get into the root of Nels disorder, I felt it was a bit confused and perhaps the team didn’t quite know how best to drive the story when it is moving in real time, and set in just one location. Don’t get me wrong, the music was still exceptional, but the concept was just a bit bizarre.

The show also resolves itself fairly abruptly, and it could have been developed a little more, but then I suppose this is reflective of how it has to be sometimes when you are dealing with a hoarder in reality. Action has to be taken at some moment, and I am sure it feels very sudden and derailing to those living with this disorder too.

Sheep Soup were the perfect company to take on this tricky theme, navigating it expertly with a balance of sensitivity and tongue in cheek humour. Hoarding is not something ever really explored within theatre, and this is a necessary piece of art for anyone to understand this complex mental health issue.

This was a concert staging of this show, still in its workshop phase although very far along in its establishment. I am super excited to see it in its future conception with full set design and will be the first one on the waiting list of tickets the second it launches!

This show is part of the REWRITES programme, which supports new musicals to take to the stage, and get them in front of audiences. Started by The Lowry, it has now expanded to partner with venues Birmingham Hippodrome, MAST Mayflower Studios and Norwich Theatre to create a touring platform for the work. Nel’s Place has its final stop at Norwich Theatre on 22nd and 23rd March.