Reviewed by Christine Pyman, Tuesday 16th February 2016
It is 1850's London, and Mary Weather has been proclaimed Lord Protector of London, but the glamorously outspoken Mary has a dark secret for which she is atoning. This is the premise on which
Rama Nicholas in Mary Weather's Monsters is based, and it can be experienced at the Gluttony Fringe hub, in the Carry On venue.
Nicholas becomes every character in this play, rapidly switching accents and physical characteristics, and if you haven't seen three very different characters arguing almost themselves, all played by one person, then you haven't seen Nicholas in action. Who else has demonstrated, in a theatre performance, whilst enacting a frustrated vampire lover, exactly which elements go into a love poem? This intensely clever theatre, disguised as a romp, will have you demanding a sequel. Could that next story be about
Lord Byron,
Bram Stoker, and the ghost of Sallilukgas, a charming female monster created by Nicholas, maybe?
Underneath the witty banter and characterisations of famous poets and writers, there is an underlying moral, but don't worry, you will be so caught up in the adventures and laughter, that it will be painless.
Rama Nicholas performs and teaches internationally and, after seeing her show, it's obvious why. From the moment she appears from the darkness her energy is immense and compelling. Witty, with nods to the literate amongst the audience, Nicholas' performance delights and shocks with its intensity.
This is a clever, feel good, rollicking monster show, with Rama Nicholas. What more could anyone want?
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