The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

Victory at Theatre503

Victory at Theatre503 | Theatre review
20 August 2015
Stuart Boyland
Avatar
Stuart Boyland
20 August 2015

Exploring the macabre trope of the long-undiscovered corpse in a terse and emotional one-act play set in a single room, writer Madicken Malm’s first full-length work is brought to the suitably claustrophobic confines of Theatre503 by fledgling company the Nightingale Collective.

From the outset, a heady atmosphere of forlorn sombreness is established by Claire Petzal, who provides a live score on cello from the corner of the stage. The sweeping crescendos and staccato stabs form a fittingly funereal soundtrack as Matthew (Samuel Lawrence) and Lorna (Jenny Wills) set about uncovering the truth behind the untimely death of Victory (Aspen Reiss). Smart staging presents a bold metaphor for their undertaking as, throughout the one-hour running time, the cast systematically sweep away from the floor the thick layer of dirt and detritus that has gathered in the months Victory’s body has lain forgotten. The drama switches fluidly between the present and Matthew’s fevered flashbacks, with each plane literally haunted by Reis’ impressive portrayal of a spirit consumed (in both life and death) by the despair wrought through creeping domestic tragedy.

As much as the unrelentingly bleak tone suits the subject matter, at times it forms something of a barrier, restricting empathetic connection with the characters and the world they inhabit. Vignettes’ intention to convey the depth and complexity of Victory and Matthew’s relationship is too fleeting to totally support their far more frequent frustrated and antagonised interactions. More respite from dialogue pitched at the level of their exasperated arguments would have been welcome.

The story too would perhaps benefit from a little more range and intricacy. Via the promotional blurb and the stylishly choreographed opening (with its neat initial reveal of Victory’s earthbound spirit) the audience is lead to anticipate an element of mystery that’s never truly realised. While seemingly played like a shock twist, the final reveal is  actually the most likely solution to the play’s puzzle; it is telegraphed too early and obviously to be a surprise. That said, the sense of helpless inevitability to the conclusion is in keeping with the piece’s powerful – and undeniably affecting – sadness. As if the mournful score has been played on the strings of the heart as well as the cello, this resonant sorrow leaves Victory lingering in the mind well after the lights have come up.

★★★★★

Stuart Boyland
Photos: Mathew Foster

Victory is on at Theatre503 until 22nd August 2015, for further information or to book visit here.

Watch a teaser for Victory here:

Related ItemsAspen ReissMadicken MalmNightingale Collectivereview

More in Theatre

Rita at Charing Cross Theatre

★★★★★
Mae Trumata
Read More

Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry

★★★★★
Ella Satin
Read More

Royal Ballet School students return to the stage for post-Covid performances

The editorial unit
Read More

“Theatre is totally unique… there’s simply nothing else quite like it”: An interview with Sir Howard Panter as the new cast of Jersey Boys opens at Trafalgar Theatre

Natallia Pearmain
Read More

Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre

Natallia Pearmain
Read More

All of Us at the National Theatre

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More

Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

★★★★★
Alexandra Fletcher
Read More

Camden Fringe 2022: The Importance of Being Anxious at Museum of Comedy

★★★★★
James Humphrey
Read More

Camden Fringe 2022: Rome 3000 (Julius Caesar) at Canal Cafe Theatre

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Stuart Boyland

Victory

★★★★★

Dates

20th August - 22nd August 2015

Price

£10-£12

Links & directions

WebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Tips for creating a peaceful home
    Feature of the week
  • Royal Ballet School students return to the stage for post-Covid performances
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • “Film offers a way of looking at the past, the present and the future simultaneously. That’s its wonder”: Sarah Beddington on Fadia’s Tree
    Cinema & Tv
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Five Days at Memorial
    ★★★★★
    apple
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Looking for Love | Movie review
Straight Outta Compton | Movie review