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★★★
The latest addition to Original Theatre’s online portfolio is ‘Bellringers’, which was recently at the Edinburgh Fringe and transferred to Hampstead Theatre for an Autumn run. Daisy Hall’s play was a finalist for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2024 and Original Theatre have filmed the production for their digital streaming service, providing theatre fans with an opportunity to catch this topical piece of new writing from the comfort of their own homes. Focusing on themes of friendship, superstition and what it means to be faced with the end of the world, the play makes you reflect on the current state of our planet and consider what it could be like in the future.
About Bellringers
The work is set in rural Oxfordshire and centres on two bell ringers: Clement (Luke Rollason) and Aspinall (Paul Adeyefa), who are each living in an almost apocalyptic environment, where various strange events keep happening. There is a likeness to climate change, with this fictional world facing storms, fires and extreme weather. However, the rapid growth of sparkling mushrooms, unexplained mutations and a high number of recent tragedies provide a dark backdrop for the story.
The 80-minute play directed by Jessica Lazar follows the characters during a storm, where they have been tasked with ringing the bells in the hope that it will cause the inclement weather to break. This historical belief often ended with bell ringers being electrocuted as a result of the wet ropes and in this futuristic environment, the tradition has returned in an attempt to manage the storms. Consequently there is an underlying theme of imminent death, both from the act of bellringing and the unexplainable events. It is a drama with dark humour that ultimately looks at how far people will go to protect their communities.
Pacing and impact
Initially the audience is thrown in at the deep end, with very little introduction to the characters. A vast proportion of the early scenes focus on the words exchanged between Clement and Aspinall, and it is only further into the script that the apocalyptic themes are revealed. As a film, I found myself disengaged at the start, with dialogue that lacks a wider impact than just a conversation between two friends. That being said, when details are exposed and all is not what it seems, the material really comes into its own, spurred on by some authentic cast performances and enigmatic weather effects.
On-stage relationships
As Clement and Aspinall, Luke Rollason and Paul Adeyefa have focused on creating a really genuine friendship that clearly started during childhood. There is natural banter between them, which provides light amongst the overwhelmingly dark and foreboding script. You truly believe in their fear about the future too, with the actors visibly panicking every time lightning-inspired flashes of light occur and rippling thunder sounds erupt. Although, within the script I would like to have seen a little more focus on the characters as individuals and their experience growing up. It might help to explain why they became bell ringers and also go a long way to explaining why the tradition has resurfaced.
Final thoughts
‘Bellringers’ is a courageous and reflective piece of writing, but for me, it focuses too much on everyday community life and not enough on the significance of bellringing in this apocalyptic context. The highlights are definitely the cast performances and suspense building towards the end of the piece. ‘Bellringers’ is available to members of Original Online now, with the film going on general release on Friday 27th December. Head over to their website to sign up to the platform and make the most of their catalogue of filmed plays.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
*I was given press access to ‘Bellringers’ in exchange for an unbiased review.
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