Make Me Feel at Bush Theatre Review
Written by Siobhán for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Jamie and Ruby are flipping through song options for their first dance, serenading each other playfully and stopping for intimate moments of shared excitement for the future ahead. But this isn't exclusively a young lovers story, but a story of the wedding guests and their lives in the lead up to the big day. Will Jackson is unfortunately out of his depth with his writing for the 18-25 Bush Young Company and Katie Greenall's direction acts as a lifeline for this 105-minute story that simply can't find its plot.
The pacing of the scenes are fast, snappy and frequent with their change of characters. One by one, we meet Jamie and Ruby’s friends and are introduced to their problems. Exploring an array of topics: homelessness in young people, family dynamics, lack of mental health support and struggling to speak about anxiety as a male. With a big cast and multiple heavy themes injected into this play, it comes to a point where we are overwhelmed with too much content and eventually, no resolution.
The choice made to cover so much subject material could be a result of an act of kindness from Jackson, as his writing allows for every member of the ensemble to have enough stage time to showcase themselves, and some individuals really do shine (Rohan Rakhit and Yemi Yohannes in particular feel electric to watch on stage). However, is this no more than a writer trying to tick as many boxes as possible by using social and political subjects that could fill seats?
A protest rally scene where we watch the company with Palestinian flags and chants of ‘free gaza’ starts powerful, choosing to comment on current political matters and handle it with care is brave and should earn them their flowers - but instead the short scene ends with the arrest of a young black man (expertly handled and staged by movement director Mateus Daniel) which is then, never discusssed or mentioned again in the play. Using this subject for 2 minutes and then sweeping it under the carpet is confirmation that Jackson’s decision to include anti-genocide protesting came from the wrong place, and only left the audience feeling sour with confusion rather than impacted.
Back with our protagonists Jamie and Ruby (who we did almost forget about, and it seems Jackson did too), we now see Ruby engaging in external validation from a work colleague due to Jamie shutting down and not opening up to her about his anxiety. These two aren't communicating, and they continue to do this until the very end, until Jamie asks for help. A man asking a woman to marry him so she can help him is apparently a resolution and fulfilling for both characters, and if you believe a woman's sole purpose as a wife is to help her husband even if he doesn't help himself, you’ll find it a sufficient ending. However, if you crave more fleshed out characters that aren't stuck in gender traditions - you'll probably see yourself with me, wishing that these two find something else other than each other… and marriage.
Within all the confusion, the audience faces when trying to keep up with multiple plot lines that are never continued and resolved, we do have moments of liquid gold from Jackson and the team (the WhatsApp group chat, which shows the hens vs the bachelorettes approach to planning, is witty, fresh and a triumph). With constant, quick comments that land well throughout the piece, it is without a doubt that Jackson is a strong comedic writer. Though, sometimes the cast will find themselves naively playing into the laughs and it makes for an awkward slapstick atmosphere that seems to exclusively play to an audience that knows the actors, rather than the characters.
Ultimately, how does the piece Make Me Feel? With the play never finding its footing and a lack of focused material, Jamie and Ruby’s story simply isn’t anything more than a fleeting piece of art of which I won’t think about again after leaving the theatre. A post-show feeling that doesn't fit Bush's usual quality and style of work, which I'm sure is a blip and I look forward to what The Bush does next!
Make Me Feel plays at Bush Theatre until 23 August
★ ★
