I was feeling a little apprehensive about this show before I saw it as the performance images which were supplied made it look a bit on the ‘eccentric’ side. I have seen productions which break the normal rules of drama and, whilst I am not adverse to a bit of rule stretching from time to time, when it comes to theatre, the novelty can wear off rather quickly. As it happens, Please Right Back carried off the presentational style brilliantly, with the balance between the medium and the message being kept in equilibrium, which should upset Marshall McLuhan.
The show is meant for a family audience but is valid on several levels so adults can enjoy it as much as the youngsters. There are several characters but only four actors; Chardae Phillips, Jenny Wills, Lara Cowin and Stefan Davis, so a fair amount of multitasking goes on.
It was obvious that this was not going to be a normal evening at the theatre when we were ‘greeted’ by a couple of completely expressionless people dressed in school uniform, complete with dunce’s cap, one of whom approached me at my seat and gave me a wooden pencil, complete with eraser on the end, embossed with the legend ‘Please right back’.
The plot is rather convoluted but begins with Father being given a suitcase by his Boss to deliver to a Mr Jones. He is assured that it is straightforward and he will be home in time for tea. The mission involves a train journey during which he falls asleep. He wakes to find that the case has been stolen and the tale progresses from there. It is told by using a mixture of live action and animation, which takes us on a fantastical journey to find the culprit, Big Man.
Father has two children; a girl, Kim, who is celebrating her 14th birthday, and a younger son, Davey, an animated character, voiced by Patrick Copley. They live with Mother, in a rundown house opposite a boy called Kenneth – who doesn’t get out much – and his Aunt, who doesn’t get out at all. The other main protagonist is a middle class lady who refers to herself as being a friend of Mother, but who has an ulterior motive. She is described by Aunt as being like Priti Patel, which is priti accurate.
The hunt for The Big Man takes Father on several adventures, from a circus with a gay lion and a boxing kangaroo, through the Misty Void to the Bermuda Triangle, where he drinks far too many cocktails and is swallowed by a whale, which already has two pirates in its stomach and coughs him up in London, where he ends up in prison. He writes to Kim about all of these escapades and she replies to his correspondence, both ending each letter in the same way, ‘Please right back.’
The play is in two halves, the first being light hearted and full of fun and fantasy. The second act, however, turns darker and we learn that Father has been incarcerated all the time and invented the stories to explain his absence from home. Kim, meanwhile, is being bullied at school and forced forced into joining a gang of extortionists run by her classmate and her enforcer brother.
She decides to follow in the footsteps of Father’s letters, which is when she realises the truth and falls out with Mother for not telling her what has really happened. The true nature of the mystery woman is revealed as being a member of an organisation which takes the offspring of offenders into ‘care’ at a special school to prevent them from following in the family tradition. They are dressed in uniform and all semblance of personality removed. It then became obvious where the pencil monitor had come from.
As you may guess, all ends well. Or does it?
The audience has to suspend any attempt to make sense of the situations as Father keeps insisting he will be home for tea, in spite of his having posted, and received, several letters. It is not so far fetched, however, as not to have any message on the nature of the world in which we now find ourselves.
The acting was superb, with each cast member morphing into their various guises seamlessly and the interaction between them and the animated background and characters was brilliantly executed.
Although the run at Leeds Playhouse has come to an end, the play is on tour, so I suggest you catch it when it comes to your area.
Please right back was Created by 1927, Written and Directed by Suzanne Andrade and Produced by Jo Crowley. For full details of all concerned and a list of Forthcoming Performances, please go to https://www.19-27.co.uk/prb1927
For information about future Leeds Playhouse shows it is https://www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/whats-on/
Photographs by Andrew Perry.
Feature image. Stefan Davis as Father in a dance routine with a pair of animated hands.
Tyke It To The Limit 