Under the radar by Jonathan Crewe has been a very challenging review to write with spoilers at every twist and turn during the play it makes a critics job very hard working out what to leave in and what to keep out.
Emotionally fuelled and challenging to watch. Crewe has written a multi-layered and very complex play. Dealing with misogyny, sexist attitudes and male toxic behaviour. Written very much in the wake of the #MeToo campaign and highlighting an important issue to be raised in the public domain.
As they delve to the depths of the ocean in the hand-built submarine it questions human beings behaviour once they believe that they are actually under the radar and that nobody else can see what they are getting up to.
The submarine named UC3-Eden which Captain Martin Christensen (Nicholas Anscombe) has built lures journalist Lee ( Eleanor Hill) to spend 48 hours or thereabouts in his submarine to get an exclusive scoop on how and why he created it and what he intends to do with it on the maiden voyage for her article in Time Magazine.
Hill’s performance as Lee is outstanding her entire performance has you kept on the edge of your seat. It is very rare to find an actor with as much presence and ability as she has while commanding the entire stage. I thoroughly recommend going to see this production purely to watch her drive the Captain to absolute distraction.
There are many uncomfortable scenes throughout the play and prepare to be shifted out of your comfort zone as it does exactly what good theatre should do and makes you question what you have just watched.
Director and writer Crewe has really had his work cut out bringing this production to the stage as there are so many themes and so much going on underneath the radar of this play that drawing it all together I believe would have been an incredibly powerful challenge.
Four Stars
Please find cast details using the link below.
https://www.jonathoncrewe.com/
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