Off Track

Soup Productions returned with another original play, this time a comedy. Off Track, written by Sam Duxbury and Michael Pirks, shows us how 8 lives can become intertwined simply by a delayed train. Friendships formed, shows performed, vapes vaped, we see people from different walks of life all with their own troubles and stories. Sam and Michael also wore Directors hats for this production and what a great job they did. The staging was so simple yet effective. Almost every scene was performed on Platform 1 of Warrington Central train station (not the real one!) and was created simply with 7 chairs. Those scenes which did not take place at the station were shown with a simple lighting change or movement of a chair. This worked really well and was easily identified by the audience. Using minimal set allowed for a seamless performance, with the pace kept high for the majority.  The cast were well directed, each of them adding their own flair to their characters and performing with consistent purpose. The relationships they were able to form throughout were strong and believable.

Throughout the production, various sound effects were used, mostly themed around the train station. These were all perfectly timed and added comedic effect to the show, especially the mumbled tannoy announcements! The background noise, the sound of the train arriving, everything was expertly cued. Scene changes were underscored with different pieces of music, which gave a real “sit com” feel to the show, something which I found quite effective in keeping the story going. However, the ending of the music was often too harsh, and could have been turned down slightly slower. Something which stuck with me was the use of underscoring during Jayne’s monologue. The music matched the tone of the scene perfectly and really helped to pull on the heartstrings of the audience.

Corynne Dittrich played the role of Millie, a young girl who appears very reserved and quiet until she starts to film her “vlogs”. The switch in energy from a stereotypical youth engrossed in their mobile phone to an upbeat and energetic personality during the vlogs was brilliant. Corynne gave great energy throughout in her performance, but the part that stuck with me was Millie’s breakdown towards the end of the show. This was performed incredibly with such authenticity, switching from light to dark in seconds flat. A truly stunning display of acting from Corynne.

Garry and Gabby (not Gabrielle) were played very well by Dave Flannagan and Barbara Hebden. They worked well to convincingly portray a stereotypical couple who have been married for years. Their comic timing was brilliant throughout, especially about the ham sandwich! Both performed with great facial expressions and reactions to the scenes happening around them, and their development as a couple as the show progressed was lovely to watch.

Janine Roberts took on the roles of Sister Judy and the Doctor, and she had us all in stitches throughout. Her reactions as the Doctor were hilarious, but it was her performance as Sister Judy that stood out for me. Giving high energy and a larger-than-life character throughout, Janine gripped on to every moment of comedy that she could, and it paid off. The ad libs (“watch my beer” etc) were perfectly timed and worked brilliantly for the character. She was also able to showcase a softer side to the character towards the end of the show. An excellent performance – well done Janine!

Equally as hilarious but in such a different way was Lesley Hall as Clair Voyant. She remained completely straight faced for the entirety of the show, even when she was face to face with the audience and they were laughing hysterically, she did not break character once. The pace at which she performed was perfect and she had the audience gripped with every word and movement. I particularly enjoyed Lesley’s reactions to the train announcements!

In the role of Jayne was Michelle Drinkwater who expertly played the “voice of reason” type character throughout, as well as taking on a slightly maternal role over Millie. Michelle’s monologue during Act 1, giving a eulogy at her husband’s funeral, was a truly heartbreaking scene. Michelle performed this beautifully with so much emotion in her voice and demeaner, she had the audience gripped.

Michele Dean performed well as Giggles the Clown, displaying brilliant facial expressions and a perfectly over-the-top energy for the role. Her physicality was strong, however I found some lines of dialogue were slightly hard to understand at times. Lisa Rhodes as the Train Clerk displayed some great audience work, entering through the audience to check their tickets at the start of the show. She gave some lovely comedy moments throughout.

The cast for this show were very strong with excellent comedic awareness, they all waited for the audience laughs to stop before continuing with their lines and didn’t miss a beat with their delivery. Their reactions throughout were spot on, especially during Millie’s vlogs. What made the show so funny was that everyone played their roles so seriously. The relationships formed throughout between all of the cast were great, and they all had their own little quirks to the characters, mostly shown when in the “background” of scenes. The cast, directors and production team have obviously put a lot of hard work into this performance, and it paid off – as evidenced by the raucous laughter from the audience throughout!

Thank you to Soup Productions for their invite to the show and their kind hospitality. I wish them the best of luck with their future productions.

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