REVIEW | The Last One, Arcola Theatre
Credit: Steve GregsonWritten by Bronagh
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.
Bess Malone’s life changes when she commits an act of theft… from the back of an ice cream van. This one act results in a new friendship, some impressive ice cream naming skills and not least of all, a realisation that climate change is very real, affecting us all and will continue to do so. The Last One is a one-woman show, solely made up of Rebecca Hyde as Bess. The company is wholly female-led; Zoe Alker as the playwright, Imy Wyatt Corner as the director, Olivia Jamieson as the designer and Rachel Thomas as the producer. Together they have created a brilliant show with a strong message behind it.
Bess is a young woman who lives in an unnamed coastal town which she thinks tourists are stupid to visit. We are introduced to Bess on a sandy beach with the sound of waves crashing in the background, sandcastles already built with a cooler bag in close reach. This is a familiar scene to anybody who has spent summer days on a British beach. Rebecca is magnificent as Bess, delivering some hilarious lines with a straight face and some attitude, all whilst circling back to the message regarding climate change. Her comic performance weaves into the more heartfelt performance effortlessly; dancing to ice cream van tunes anybody?
The content of The Last One is an enjoyable watch. I wouldn’t say it is anything too drastic or ‘out there’ with a fairly simple synopsis yet powerful message. The way the tale is told is impressive and some magical work from Zoe Alker. From a story of a young woman stealing ice cream, to becoming part of the community, to becoming a true trailblazer. The theme of friendship – unlikely friendship in this case - is really lovely to watch with Bess becoming good friends with the ice cream man Brian, who she stole from at the beginning of the play. She learns from him – did you know DEFRA have strict rules on when ice cream vans can play music? – and finds herself becoming integrated in the community as opposed to previously being an outsider. Loss and anger are explored well, with Bess upset and angry that nobody bothered to listen to Brian when he warned of severe things to come in terms of climate change.
The only thing that threw me very slightly was the narration. Typically narrated by Bess, there were times it switched to a more ominous narration from the future. I wasn’t sure who this was meant to be – if anybody – but this was hardly a hindrance and more just my curiosity! I took it to be Bess in the future looking back on this time but then other times I wasn’t too sure.
I loved the use of sound and lighting throughout, which veered from a bright and breezy summer’s day to the dark and stormy days. The brilliant use of both sound and lighting helped in tying up the message regarding climate change, as well as Bess’ musing that old people didn’t want to go out due to the extreme heat… in October.
Overall The Last One was a great watch, which I would love to see on an extended run. The message is not preachy, it isn’t too in your face; instead, this is a heartwarming show, performed extremely well with a solid meaning and its core.
At The Arcola Theatre until 27th January 2024
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
