Cartoonopolis - Liverpool Playhouse Studio - 13/02/2015

The gestation of a play is something that usually happens behind the closed doors of workshops and rehearsal rooms, but Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse's first Ignition Artist Lewis Bray has offered us tantalising glimpses of the growth of his play Cartoonopolis over the past year, from a short scene early in the process, through a scratch performance and to the full length piece that has played to sold out audiences this week in the Studio.

I have written about this work before, and I don't intend to repeat myself - take a look back to the entries for 22nd May and 22nd October 2014 in my blog.

This week, the one-man show has become a two act piece, still presented on a very bare stage with only a chair, a screen and some clever lighting, so there is nothing to distract us from the multi-faceted performance of Lewis. Not even a faint rustle of sweet wrappers from the audience, as they were all mesmerised.

I've heard it argued that the material may have been expanded a little too far and someone has suggested cuts, but I have to say that what has been added is essential new material, and if Lewis and his co-creatives do decide to cut anything I do hope that this additional writing survives. The version we saw last autumn came right from the heart and explored some important subject matter, but now he has dug even deeper into the characters - especially the real life ones - to find some really hard-hitting stuff. Not only do we get a telling perspective of autism from within Lewis's brother Jack, but now we also get a real feel for the impact, both positive and negative, on the whole family and the dynamic of their lives.

Cartoonopolis holds its audience through its sheer honesty and openness, as well as the drive and detail in the performance and the wit and wisdom of the writing.

LEP invite someone to be an Ignition Artist when they see "an extraordinary talent [that] should not be ignored" and there is a reason that Lewis Bray has become the first artist recognised in this scheme.

I was very fortunate to get a seat on the only night I had free this week. If you want to see this show you'll have to queue for a return today, but if you do and you're lucky, it will be worth it.

 

 

Lewis Bray - (c) Brian Roberts Images