The Southwark Playhouse opens its stage to the 10th anniversary production of Alistair McDowall’s play, exploring the struggles of a first-time father in both the real and make-believe world. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if this bittersweet reflection about parenting actually has daddy issues.
I shall only refer to what my former mentor Edna Mode once taught me (I was a classy kid, from top to bottom…): it never ends up well for those who wear the cloak. And except for some very particular situations (and connotations), none of us wish to be suctioned by a turbine… It may sound confusing, but if there’s anything clear about the joy of parenting (I swear to God I’m not being sarcastic… see how many got that…) is that basically all the time nothing makes sense at all. And yet, there’s nothing else to do but to carry on. Because that’s actually what parenting means.
Last week, the Southwark Playhouse hosted the 10th anniversary production of Captain Amazing, a new play exploring the trials and tribulations of everyday life when becoming a father comes along the way. Penned by Alistair McDowall (whose previous credits include The Royal Court’s critically acclaimed experimental monologue, All of It), the show presents with us a simple story of a simple life, magnified through the metaphorical duality of his role as a dad. Life turns into fiction and fiction turns into one’s personal truth, depicting the lead’s make-believe persona as an elongation of his real essence. He is, by all means, an actual superhero – even if it that can only be seen through her daughter’s eyes.
Parting from an engaging premise holding extremely powerful possibilities, the script nonetheless fails to unlock any of them, most sadly – instead, delivering a not too enticing narrative that, despite sketching rather accurately the common issues of adulthood, struggles to bring any relatability with its audience. The problem may stem from the core of its approach. The concept of parents being the actual superheros is not at all new (feeling, in all honesty, a bit tired already), but if handled the right way, it can lead to something genuinely moving and introspective. McDowall manages to tell the facts with blunt sincerity, but his writing lacks, in this case, the necessary emotion to make us fall and care for the character – relying too much on its framing device (jumping from “normal dad” to Captain Amazing’s reflections), rather than focusing on the content to provide a more compelling and original recount. The result, unfortunately, is an unsurprising plot to finds difficulty in disguising its many clichés.
Some praise must still be given to the production, with Mark Weinman’s performance being a complete tour de force. Standing on his own through the rather complicated task of swapping roles both out and inside the aura of his personage – exuding a highly diverse register regarding both the many parts he’s able to bring to life with immaculate precision, as well as the raw sentiment and piercing verity they all require. In addition, Georgia de Grey’s symbolic design, combined with Will Monks’s sublime lighting and effective projections, create an inviting and transporting atmosphere that are able to drag us through both the piece’s setting and psychological journey in a remarkably accomplished manner.
An inviting idea to start from, Captain Amazing sets the grounds for what could be a marvellous soul-searching analysis on one the most basic, and thus major, aspects of the human experience, but makes its structure crumble by playing it too safe and preventing it from developing a proper identity. It doesn’t need to be radical, but it has to bring some edge. When it comes to real life, there’s nothing mild about it.
All pictures credit to Ali Wright.
Captain Amazing plays at London’s Southwark Playhouse Borough until 25 May. Tickets are available on the following link.