REVIEW | It’s Headed Straight Towards Us, Park200 Theatre
★ ★ ★★
Reviewer - Eleanor
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
As an Icelandic glacier shifts and a volcano begins to erupt, a nearby film set has ground to a halt. Feuding actors Hugh Delavois (Samuel West) and Gary Savage (Rufus Hound) are confined to a single trailer along with patient film set runner Leela (Nenda Neururer). As they await rescue and slip ever closer into the abyss, all three of them are forced to find ways to cope with one another in this ever increasingly dangerous situation comedy drama.
This offbeat comedy is written by Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer, both well-known British comic writers and actors in their own rights. They last collaborated on a previous version of this play (then called Vulcan 7) in 2018, but they are both better known for starring in the 1982 comedy series The Young Ones. The writers’ noteworthy back catalogue, paired with the vision of theatre director Rachel Kavanaugh and the previously award-winning performances of Hound and West, meant this show had a lot of potential - potential which I think it lived up to.
It's Headed Straight Towards Us, with its hilarious clash of showbiz egos, brilliantly depicts the ‘hurry up and wait’ aspect of this acting profession. The increasingly violent spats between the main characters are very compelling, with this wonderfully funny play drawing the audience in from the very start. And as this quirky script takes a darker turn, I was left genuinely anxious as to the characters’ fates.
Confined to a small scale, the entirety of It's Headed Straight Towards Us takes place in the single room of a film trailer. As one of the lead actors on set, Hugh is proud of the space he has been awarded and has furnished it to his tastes: vintage cat cushions and his shoe cobbling equipment placed specifically within the room. It is then much to his disappointment and anger when this space is invaded by Gary Savage, the bit part actor who believes he should have been given the larger role and the larger trailer. But despite the smaller scale, this show still makes an impact. The limited set is embellished with effective lighting (designed by Mark Doubleday) and a naturalistic graphic background. Both of these change as the show reaches its climax, adding both drama and suspense. I particularly enjoyed the use of additional effects throughout the show (simulating snow and ash) and how the stage actually rumbled and shifted as the trailer fell towards the volcano. These tremors were the perfect way to naturally move between scenes and were also a great effect to watch.
The strength of this show comes not only from the innately funny script, but from the strong character dynamics portrayed by the cast. Rufus Hound brilliantly plays the quietly complex character of Gary Savage. His angry tirades and constant teasing are great to watch. And Samuel West is pitch perfect as Hugh Delavois. His overarching demeanour balanced Hound’s wonderfully and he was certainly my favourite character of the piece. It is the relationship of these two overtly different men which lies at the heart of It's Headed Straight Towards Us, so even at its most anarchic you always believe these to be genuine people who care about each other deep down. Nenda Neururer rounds off the trio perfectly as Leela. Acting not just as a helpless observer, she really drives the plot along and generates an equal amount of comedy. One of my favourite moments is Leela and Gary’s rendition of ‘The wheels on the bus,’ much to Hugh’s dislike.
Overall, It's Headed Straight Towards Us is a strong and very funny work from both Edmondson and Planer. Akin to a slightly more zany episode of the BBC’s Inside No. 9, the show was peppered with laugh out loud scenes but also had its fair share of compassionate moments. The dynamic of the two main protagonists, Hugh and Gary, is very compelling and is expertly offset by the character of Leela. I would definitely recommend seeing this show during its limited run.
It's Headed Straight Towards Us opened on the 14th September and will be running until Friday 20th October at PARK200 Theatre, London.