The Crumple Zone

LAMBCO productions - Waterloo East Theatre

A Christmas filled to the brim with drama and chaos! Intense stage chemistry between all actors, perfect comic timing and real, raw emotion. A perfect stocking filler.

This show oozes drama! Buddy Thomas' 'Crumple Zone', is an off Broadway show. The storyline follows 4 flat mates, in Staten Island, that have the worst Christmas ever!

Helen Bang has directed a piece that is real, iconic and hilarious. The leading character Terry, played by James Grimm, is friends with a shopping centre Father Christmas (Alex) and Alex's long-term girlfriend Sam, who Terry lives with, and she is away on tour. What is he up to whilst she's away? New man on the scene, Buck, who is very close with Alex and Terry is interested in him as well. What could possibly go wrong?

Terry, played by James Grimm, is a vibrant, witty and sarcastic character. Grimm puts a lot of energy into his character, and does not miss a beat. The moments he is silent you know he is about to come up with the next sarcastic remark, he always has to have the last word. This is shown by how well Grimm's listening skills are as an actor and his response in character, it's very naturalistic and it does not give the impression he is just reeling lines. His friendship with Buck is funny, you can see how interested he is in Buck, and he responds to his flirting by cutting it off. All on stage chemistry is passionate and real, Alex and Buck have the most chemistry. Their characters cannot stay away from each other, Alex, played by Johnny Davidson you can tell is confused between his addiction to Buck, but feels he should stay with his safe haven girlfriend Sam. He plays his character moving from mood to mood, you can't predict what his response will be next and sometimes it feels he should slow the lines down to show how his thought process, as he is at a cross roads and when you get to the climax of the piece his decision seems sudden. However, his character does seem to make quick decisions and not fully think about the impact of his actions, in some ways this acting decision makes sense.

Another strong choice, is Sinead Donnelly's portrayal of her character, Sam. She takes the time absorbing the huge change in her relationship with Alex and goes through a journey of acceptance, she shows shock, anger and sadness. You can see her response of shock to her actions and how broken she is. The make-up running down her face shows a realistic display of shock and how she does not have the energy to look after herself, because this is a huge turning point in her life. She has an instant feeling of unease and distaste towards Buck, played by James Mackay, she questions him and responds negatively to his contributions to conversations. They almost have a power struggle and this rivalry between the two is tense and awkward to watch. Clearly presenting an uncomfortable and unplanned situation the flat mates were not prepared for. Nicholas Gauci plays Roger, a man that Terry brings home to the flat. His character intensifies the comedy. Gauci gives his character depth, although he has a minimal number of scenes, he shows the work he's put into understanding his character's back story. He's one of the most intriguing characters.

The flat living room is created from the set on the stage. Centre stage is a sofa and a Christmas tree that sits behind it. It is simple, but effective and moments feel you are watching a sitcom or looking into someone's flat. It gives you that warm feeling and you would want to binge this if it was a series. There are some minor downsides that are gaps in the curtains that you can see the silhouette of the person who is going to come on stage next, this took away the shock of the entrance of one of the characters. Another strong use of staging and lighting is the TV that is in the corner. At the end when the pair of flat mates watch the tv to distract them from their feelings. The use of the lighting (designed by Richard Lambert) from the tv shining light on the characters faces, this moment mixed with sound from the TV fills the silence. This makes the audience, and characters reflect on the chaos that has just unraveled.

This is a fast-paced piece, and the comedy just keeps coming. Moments could be a bit slower; this would prevent any jokes being missed and give the audience time to digest the content. However, the speed does highlight the chaotic nature of the show. The actor's commitment to their roles is admirable and the relationships between the characters are clear. The accents are consistent and strong, the cast worked with Nora Perone (US dialect consultant of the show) to work on their accents, the work shows through the cast maintaining the American Brooklyn accent from start to finish. Crumple Zone brings comedy and wit from tragic events, which has some poignant moments of reflection, the metaphor at the end is beautiful. It is so important to find a light in difficult times. Pure Christmas Chaos.

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