Review: ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, Sheffield Theatres
Photo credit: Johan Persson
Sheffield Theatres are currently celebrating ‘Fifty Years of Wow!’ and as part of their anniversary season comes the world premiere Chris Bush’s trio of plays Rock Paper Scissors. In a world first, the three plays take over Sheffield Theatres’ three venues (Rock in the Crucible, Paper in the Lyceum and Scissors in the Studio) with cast members running from a scene on one stage to another scene on another stage.
Rock Paper Scissors tells the story of the Spenser & Son scissor factory and what happens when Eddie Spenser, the owner, passes away. In Rock, Susie Spencer, the sister of Eddie, wants to turn the factory into a music venue. In Paper, Faye, Eddie’s stepdaughter, and her wife Mel are looking for the will (i.e. papers) that they hope will prove they have inherited the factory. They want to turn it into luxury apartments. In Scissors, we meet Omar and the apprentices who still work at the factory making scissors, albeit not attracting much business.
Rock is directed by Anthony Lau, Associate Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres. The play is enjoyable, although compared to the other two, it feels a little more style over substance. There are some dream sequences and photoshoot scenes, accompanied by music from Richard Taylor. Ben Stones’ design is huge and spectacular and fits the space perfectly, whilst the orientation of the set does hurt the brain a little bit! The pillars built into the set may also obstruct sightlines for certain audience members.
Robert Hastie’s direction of Paper leans much more into realism, which is aided by Janet Bird’s equally impressive and detailed design. The play is set in Omar and Eddie’s office which is filled with clutter. Elin Schofield directs Scissors which feels equally naturalistic and filters through into Natasha Jenkins’ design. Scissors is the most political of the three plays and it is a delight to see some outstanding performances in an intimate space. It is incredibly impressive that three plays with three separate creative teams can feel so coherent and like they could all genuinely be happening at the same time in the same factory. This has clearly been a massive team effort, confidently led by Chris Bush’s genius, funny, powerful and relevant writing.
The cast of 14 all appear in all three plays but most of them ‘lead’ one of the plays. Rock is led by Denise Black as Susie and Andrew Macbean as Leo. Black gives a passionate performance, whilst Macbean’s Leo is much down to earth, trying to keep Susie grounded in reality. As much as both give strong performances, Susie is not particularly likeable as a character which makes it difficult to root for her, her relationships and her desires for the factory. Where Rock really flourishes are the scenes between Lucie Shorthouse as Zara and Leo Wan as Xander. The two give beautiful performances and work stunningly together. Their scene discussing what they’d do with the factory in a hypothetical world with a blank cheque is the highlight of the play and feels highly relevant given ongoing conversations in Sheffield around what the future of the former Debenhams and John Lewis sites should become. Zara’s desires to be a musician are tapped into but it would have been good to see this explored more fully, as she is a character one can fully root for, which Susie does. Denise Black’s strongest moments are when Susie is passionately investing in other people, rather than the building. She also demonstrates her strong comic timing when she appears at the beginning of the second act of Scissors.
Across Tudor Square in the Lyceum, Paper is led by Natalie Casey as Mel and Samantha Power as Faye. These two leading ladies give powerhouse performances that the audience really get behind. They are likeable with a beautiful but believable relationship. There is quite a sudden shift in tone towards the end of the play but Casey delivers this expertly. Chanel Waddock and Daisy May take on the roles of wannabe popstars Coco and Molly, aka Cocodemol. They have great comic timing, whilst still making their characters very human and not verging into caricatures too often. It is a shame we never get to see them perform as the band though in any of the three plays.
Scissors in the Studio Theatre is led by Jabez Sykes as Mason, alongside Joe Usher as Trent, Maia Tamrakar as Liv and Dumile Sibanda as Ava. These four actors are a really tight knit leading cast who have a fantastic rapport between them. Usher and Tamrakar are a great comic duo when they appear in Paper, whilst in Scissors we learn about their life goals and backstories. Sibanda gives grounded performances in all three plays, sharing her ambitious goals in Scissors. Sykes as Mason is a revelation. He gives an outstanding performance, barely leaving the Studio Theatre’s stage. He has razor sharp comic timing and wit, whilst giving a fully fleshed out performance. Guy Rhys’ performance as Omar is strong throughout all three plays and he portrays his dedication to the young apprentices believably, leading the audience to really invest in them. Alastair Natkiel’s Billy is a fun addition to all three plays, with his scene with the apprentices towards the end of the first act of Scissors being very funny, especially for those who have seen one of the other plays so are in the know about the confusion afoot.
Rock Paper Scissors is a very strong trio of very different plays. They do stand alone but seeing how the play’s cleverly intertwine adds a new layer of depth. Don’t miss your chance to see this world first which boasts fantastic writing from Chris Bush, some great production values and a plethora of brilliant performances.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jacob Bush
Rock Paper Scissors runs until 2 July, with tickets available here.