Goldfish is currently playing at a little-known gem of a theatre in the heart of London – the Bridewell Theatre, just a short walk from Blackfriars Underground station. Perhaps one reason it doesn’t always feature on the theatre-going radar is its commitment to youth and community theatre. It was particularly pleasing, therefore, to see a professional theatre company bringing a production to this venue.

As the audience entered the theatre, a musician was already playing live on stage. It was a lovely touch, and he was dressed in character costume, although it felt slightly incongruous when we had little idea who he was, where we were or why he was playing.

The set was essentially a rather clever, large rear-projected screen that could rotate laterally across a central bar, allowing set pieces to travel up and downstage under the horizontal screen. The screen would then rotate back to vertical for the projections. The soundscape worked particularly well, with zoned speakers helping to establish the location and direction of individual sound sources.

The remote-controlled goldfish in its tank was delightful. I was disappointed when it was later replaced by a static salmon, although I was intrigued by how the salmon managed to float in the middle of the tank without any obvious means of support!

The lighting was particularly effective. Combined with generous amounts of haze, it created some striking tableaux, with the video projections helping to establish the different scenes and locations.

Where the production was less successful was in its storytelling. However impressive the technical elements, a strong and coherent story is still needed to bring everything together and make a production truly remarkable. This is where Goldfish struggles.

As far as I could make out, there were several strands to the story. A mayor, a single parent, is caring for his sick son after his former partner has left. A drowned girl is discovered alive, carrying a goldfish in a bucket. The fish can apparently talk. Seeing an opportunity to generate publicity for his declining gold-rush town, the mayor hopes to capitalise on the fame of the talking fish and invites a celebrated zoologist to investigate. Despite having no idea why she has been summoned, she turns up anyway. We then discover that she is the boy’s mother and the mayor’s former partner.

The goldfish fails to speak and somehow becomes a salmon. The boy then saves the salmon by lifting it above his head and walking upstage into the fog. Bizarre, to say the least!

There is certainly plenty to enjoy in this production, not least the imaginative technical elements and a sizeable cast by today’s fringe theatre standards. There are some lovely ideas here, even if the story doesn’t always manage to bring them together into a satisfying whole.

Reviewed by Richard Lambert.

Three Stars.

https://sbf.org.uk/hire/bridewell-theatre/

Written by: Nina Beck
Directed by: Guy McNair-Wilson
Presented by: Yawning Dog Productions Ltd.

Quote from producer- Original theatre performance of “GOLDFISH”, a fable set during the Klondike Gold Rush, Alaska 1898. The story follows real-life conman Soapy Smith, and his descent into madness following the discovery of a talking fish. Reflecting modern themes of fake news, mass hysteria, and gender identity, GOLDFISH pushes powerful visual styles, with contemporary derived movement, and sound design. A surreal and moving account of broken families, and hardships experienced following the American Civil War. 

It is a unique theatrical play that is deeply moving and visually stunning and will have a very bright future.