Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Remmie Milner, Jamie Samuel.
It is a credit to the theatre attendees of Liverpool that there are writers of such great quality with a unique modern perspective out there who are willing to see their plays performed on the city’s various stages, that no matter how difficult the subject matter may be to perhaps take in, they know with hand on heart that the audiences will give every ounce of their concentration to and be thoughtful in their considered response. This is especially true when someone of the calibre of Ella Carmen Greenhill brings her play Plastic Figurines to the Playhouse Theatre Studio stage.
When Michael and Rose’s mother is taken from them, the life of the siblings is shattered, but not beyond repair. As Rose has to grow up faster than a student seeking to explore the world should be expected to, dealing with her brother’s condition on a full time basis is one that many in the country find themselves doing, it is a position that is beyond heroics and one that many will never truly understand.
The bond that exists on stage between Remmie Milner and Jamie Samuel was such that both grew, flowered, in stature before the audience’s eyes. Like a quick growing, beautifully nurtured plant exposed to all the right conditions, the potent mix of Remmie Milner’s pragmatic and forgiving nature as Rose, brought out such sublime repose in Jamie Samuel, that in other hands, the delicate nature of the script would have been lost, overplayed and plucked from its soil far too soon.
In Jamie Samuel, the character of Michael is one that resonates from beyond the divide. The sense of disconnection felt as Mr. Samuel takes his character through varying degrees of emotional distress, through unhindered ordered calm to heartbreaking intense inward terror was magnificent. A portrayal of a truth captured with poise and justice.
Plastic Figurines is a delicate, fast paced, immensely funny in all the right places and attention grabbing play. It is one that uniquely cannot fail but to entertain, educate and inform audiences about the great difficulties, the great moments of elation and sometimes the desperate, distressing nature that comes with coping and enjoying life with someone such as Michael.
A play that shares joy, social realism, the angst of seemingly being disconnected from the wider population and the sheer honesty of two great performances is not only to be applauded but one is fraught with an inner beauty, one that asks not only to be taken seriously but will also give you strength to confront the labels laid down by the ignorant and the unjust. Absolutely required viewing!
Ian D. Hall