May 27, 2009
We’ll Meet Again is an odd play: its grab-bag of characters deliver a slew of good jokes throughout the hour long performance, and it all somehow ends up as more then the some of its parts.
The play centres round the cheery theme of Armageddon, and thankfully doesn’t try to tackle any issues, choosing to have some topical laughs about the various reasons we should have all been dead a long time ago instead.
It is without a doubt the characters who drive the play, and they are a disparate bunch: First we have the dysfunctional family, complete with historian dad, alcoholic bossy mum and arms dealer kid. Then there are the two strangers attempting to get though “50 things to do before you die”, before, well, they die. And let’s not forget the two militant survivalist brothers out to spread the word regarding the apocalypse. Only they’re not quite sure how it will come. Or when. Or what to do when it does.
So yes, many strange characters, all with seemingly unrelated stories. And so they pretty much stay for most the play. I must say that for the vast majority of it I really couldn’t see how these characters worked with each other. It felt a little like they were each in little mini-plays of their own; related, but separate.
Yet strangely, for no discernable reason and despite the fragmentary nature of both the scenes and the characters, it all seemed to come together rather well at the end. It was odd, and I’m not quite sure I understand why or how it happened, but by the time it got round to the closing scene We’ll Meet Again had formed into a whole which worked inexplicably well. I found that I had been smiling for the last half an hour, and looking around it seemed that so had everyone else.
So despite some initial reservations I found myself with a very warm feeling towards this student play, and I walked out of the studio as I had spent most my time there; with a smile on my face. Give it a go, and if you can do a better job at explaining it then I can, please post a review of your own and enlighten me.
The play centres round the cheery theme of Armageddon, and thankfully doesn’t try to tackle any issues, choosing to have some topical laughs about the various reasons we should have all been dead a long time ago instead.
It is without a doubt the characters who drive the play, and they are a disparate bunch: First we have the dysfunctional family, complete with historian dad, alcoholic bossy mum and arms dealer kid. Then there are the two strangers attempting to get though “50 things to do before you die”, before, well, they die. And let’s not forget the two militant survivalist brothers out to spread the word regarding the apocalypse. Only they’re not quite sure how it will come. Or when. Or what to do when it does.
So yes, many strange characters, all with seemingly unrelated stories. And so they pretty much stay for most the play. I must say that for the vast majority of it I really couldn’t see how these characters worked with each other. It felt a little like they were each in little mini-plays of their own; related, but separate.
Yet strangely, for no discernable reason and despite the fragmentary nature of both the scenes and the characters, it all seemed to come together rather well at the end. It was odd, and I’m not quite sure I understand why or how it happened, but by the time it got round to the closing scene We’ll Meet Again had formed into a whole which worked inexplicably well. I found that I had been smiling for the last half an hour, and looking around it seemed that so had everyone else.
So despite some initial reservations I found myself with a very warm feeling towards this student play, and I walked out of the studio as I had spent most my time there; with a smile on my face. Give it a go, and if you can do a better job at explaining it then I can, please post a review of your own and enlighten me.