Reviews
What our listeners think!
"Hats off for trying a new media. It worked because there were a limited number of characters and a shorter performance. Somewhat clunky but this is typical of zoom and I guess will improve over time. I enjoyed the after performance chat.Overall I would try another theatre by Zoom following this experience."
"Worth seeing."
"An excellent use of zoom for an hour, it really worked."
"The play was performed live online which was a very interesting concept. It made effective use of narrators to guide the story which explored the impact that lockdown and the pandemic had on the relationships between people in Milan and London. At only one hour long, it definitely packed a lot in!"
"At the end of 2020, RebCat Creations made a play available online called The Truth Serum. This explored three relationships based in London and Milan during the lockdown. Now, many of those characters return in a sequel, The New Normal, which streamed last night. Both plays run just over an hour each, and could be combined into one coherent piece.
The New Normal is a play streamed over Zoom and focusing on family dynamics and choices in a circumstance where marriages may be broken, jobs furloughed, businesses closed, and new friendships forged. It is not necessary to have knowledge of the first play – I didn’t – as the narrators help to explain who’s who as we progress through the play, reacting to their own uncertain times." Read More
The New Normal is a beautifully thought-provoking online play about life in a pandemic and all the trials and tribulations that it may bring.
The play, directed by Cathy Dixon, recaps on the year of 2020 through telling the story of several well-rounded yet relatable characters.
The production, which was performed over Zoom last weekend is set in Milan and London in the year of 2020. The performance starts with the Narrators who throughout the play take the roles of The New Normal news presenters. These two characters offer some light-hearted comedic relief throughout the performance, including a hilarious scene involving a 2 meter long tape measure! The two narrators almost play the role of good cop and bad cop as they struggle with interpreting what new guidelines mean and the overload of information they are given from the media." Read More
"My first Zoom theatre experience, not as exciting as the real thing but still very enjoyable. A well performed play analysing relationships, alienation, losses and betrayals during lockdown.
This was a really enjoyable play to watch on Zoom, so cleverly done and excellent played out, really bringing home the last few months since March about the lives and challenges of the pandemic. It felt real and sincere. The question and answer session was really interesting too! I would love to see a sequel, either again on Zoom or in the theatre."
"My first Zoom theatre experience and I was quite impressed. Whilst waiting for the play to start we were presented with a screen of theatre curtains, and the anticipation of them opening , while not quite as exciting as the real thing, was nontheless a good substitute. The play concerns 3 households during Covid, and how the pandemic affects them, but also how life's other trials carry on regardless. Some of the sound quality was better than others, and if they could have shown people who were supposed to be in the same room on the same screen it may have been better, but overall a brave effort. Afterwards there was a Q and A which was quite interesting
An entertaining and well performed play in a novel format analysing relationships during lockdown, most enjoyable."
"Enjoyable and emotional, funny and sad, the play keeps you fully engaged for the whole hour. Zoom is far from perfect media for staging plays: some connections were poorer than others. It was confusing at times to understand if characters are sharing the space or chatting online. The Narrators were my favorite - they found the right balance between playing the greek chorus and interacting with the live audience."
"The idea behind this show is laudable. Condensing drama into the frames the Zoom platform offers is a fascinating idea, even if it comes with limitations. Some of the decisions made were really good. Keeping the narrators frivolously upbeat meant that drama couldn't become overly melodramatic. Accenting issues other than Covid-19 meant that the distorting prism of the virus didn't overwhelm us, instead focusing our attention on what we might otherwise forget - life goes on, as does death! Given the technical complexities, the show was fairly slick. Hats off to the Zoom Wizard! However, making use of the potential OBS offers could have diversified the presentation and assuaged screen fatigue somewhat. Also, some basic lighting skills could have rendered more naturalistic skin tones. My main issue with the visual rendition however, were the plain walls behind each character. This gave the impression the action took place beyond Zoom, in a vacuum of sorts, which resulted in overly demanding concentration on the actors faces in ways even film and TV seldom dares to exploit and they are used to big close-ups. Grounding the characters with a few diligently placed props/sets/green screen back drops - which here were only given to the narrators - might have enhanced the drama and allowed a greater range of nuance in the acting. All said, I look forward to where these ideas could develop and grow. It's great seeing new platforms explored."
"Dopo la chiusura dei teatri il mondo dello spettacolo ha subito un duro colpo quest’anno. In questo brutto scenario l’online theatre attraverso la piattaforma di Zoom è emerso come un medium fattibile per creare e godere spettacoli teatrali dal “vivo”. L’obbiettivo non è quello di rimpiazzare la magia del teatro fisico, tuttavia ci sono alcuni vantaggi davvero unici che accompagnano quello online. Attraverso un computer, un iPad o uno smartphone, è possibile collegare simultaneamente un pubblico proveniente da tutte le parti del mondo. Il teatro online può includere persone che normalmente non riescono a frequentare, e i costi di produzione sono più bassi di quelli richiesti per uno spettacolo fisico. Inoltre, alla fine dello spettacolo si può creare un dibattito controllato in cui il pubblico può intervenire con commenti, domande, suggerimenti e critiche sia nella chat che oralmente interpellando i membri del cast."
"The Truth Serum è un play, tradotto spesso in italiano come commedia - ma, in italiano forse non si può chiamare commedia perché non c’è un lieto fine, ci sono momenti allegri e momenti tristi. Si tratta di una storia che parla del Lockdown durante la pandemia globale e i due mood contrastanti che si sono sviluppati nelle due città internazionali di Milano e Londra. La trama cattura una fetta della storia tra marzo e luglio 2020. Due narratori (in stile BBC) ci ricordano alcune faccende nazionali che sono accadute durante questo periodo. Quest’ultimi commentano spesso in modo ironico per alleggerire la storia. Si parla di relazioni tra tre coppie, due a Londra e una a Milano e di come il Lockdown ha avuto un impatto diverso su di esse."
"Lo spettacolo, della durata di un’ora, è accompagnato da musica originale composta e suonata da Piacentina Valentina Pennisi (clarinetto e pianoforte) che ha aggiunto molto valore e la giusta atmosfera."
"Questa produzione è stata scritta, provata, pianificata, progettata e recitata sempre su Zoom e il pubblico ha dimostrato molto interesse anche su questo aspetto."
"Zoom theatre apre tante porte, rappresenta un mezzo molto inclusivo per il periodo in cui ci troviamo, totalmente trasformato dell’ultimo anno. La regista Catherine Dixon ha detto “Ciascuno di noi sa raccontare una storia e lo spettacolo deve andare avanti, se non offline allora online!”