Review: Second Hand Problems at Theatro Technis

Friday, 2nd July 2024 at Theatro Technis

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reviewer: Emma Dorfman

I first saw Second Hand Problems in its infancy at a scratch night at The Cockpit, and it’s always thrilling to see how a show blossoms. In this Camden Fringe production, with the addition of a few more to the creative team, the piece has certainly come a bit closer to being fully formed, but it still has some ways to go. Design elements, including the set and musical score, provide more colour and character to the narrative about intergenerational female camaraderie; the only thing holding it back now is a somewhat stiff script with performances to match.

In Second Hand Problems, we encounter three very different stories of women at three very different crossroads: Mel’s (Shona Graham) mum has just passed away, and she looks to her mother’s best friend Fiona (Carol Walton) for comfort and closure. Cat faces a big decision about her pregnancy, and her hippy mum (Noelle Adames) rises from the dead to help her through it. Finally, Alice (Molly O’Donnell) runs into a stranger at a thrift store on her wedding day, and the two bond over an unexpected, shared experience. The cast of four multi-roles among the scenes, making cameos between transitions, not only to make set changes but also, to set the scene for the unusual world they find themselves in.

Adding a bit of intrigue and a sense of displacement is the set and the score, courtesy of designer Ola Islos and composer Arielle Zilkha. Clothes rails frame the stage, giving that second-hand vibe promised in the title. Objects you would expect to find in a charity shop are tied to the railings by spiderweb-like string– a powerful visual that immediately conjures something ghostly or not of this world. The score that accompanies each transition can best be described as retro-futuristic. It often overlaps with poppy songs that also straddle periods, like Madonna’s “Hung Up.” Both elements are welcome additions that further ground the piece in a place and space, even if both are largely akin to limbo.

The character that the scenography and sound add to the piece holistically may have been enough, however, to briefly distract from the underdeveloped script. A great example of this comes in the very first scene, when Mel finds out the true nature of her mum and Fiona’s relationship. Upon receiving such earth-shattering news at her mum’s wake, which also must be an emotionally turbulent time for Mel, she takes a very logical approach to the situation, immediately seeking out more information. The emotional processing of it all happens very quickly (and I suppose it needs to happen quickly in a 20 minute scene) and very literally as well. I found myself predicting the sequence of events quite quickly and felt just a bit ahead of the script in moments like these. 

The performances, too, I found to be mixed: while some performers demonstrate immense physical and emotional freedom, others tend to be stiffer and more restrained. Molly O’Donnell as Alice is brilliant in the show’s final scene: she never lets the comedically chaotic energy wane. Shona Graham, too, brings a fresh and brave vulnerability as Cat. She takes her time, just as the character takes her time with the important task at hand. It all makes for a refreshing change of pace, as other performers tend to be confined, still trying to find their own interpretations of the characters, perhaps. Or it could have very well been a simple case of opening night jitters. Either way, there is still room for improvement.

Throughout the show, I found myself craving more of the nuance, metaphor, symbolism, and poetry that theatre is known for. And by the end, I was surprised at just how uncertain I was about the message behind the piece, or, its key takeaway. In a story about women from three different worlds finding camaraderie, I wondered what the precise lesson was here. How do we build camaraderie? How do we find common ground despite our differences? And is that what I’ve seen play out in front of me?

Second Hand Problems is at Theatro Technis until August 4th 2024 – more information and tickets can be found here.