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

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureCinemaShows, on demand & home video

Unprecedented

Unprecedented | Show review
28 May 2020
Jonathan Marshall
Avatar
Jonathan Marshall
28 May 2020

Movie and show review

Jonathan Marshall

Unprecedented

★★★★★

Release date

26th May 2020

Platform

BBC iPlayer

Links

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsite

Even the Luddites among us have been forced to adapt to and ultimately embrace such platforms as Zoom during the lockdown. Connecting us with colleagues and loved ones, such technology has now allowed 14 new plays to be created by a who’s who of British theatre talent. Headlong have teamed up with Century Films to address and respond to the UK lockdown. After airing on BBC4, the digital plays will be available on iPlayer.

As the world has changed practically overnight, we have been saturated by the media’s constant reports on death figures, vaccines and the impending ramifications of the pandemic that are going to ripple through life after lockdown. We’re incredibly fortunate that we live in a world where at the click of a button we can be inundated with an ever-increasing array of entertainment options. Even theatre is being streamed to our front rooms. With such plentiful choice to quench our thirst for escapism, do we really want to watch something that will only remind us of our current reality?

If the first two episodes are anything to go by, the answer is very much yes. We open with Viral, written by James Graham. Over ten minutes we follow three frustrated teenagers on a video call. The boys claim their generation will be “the most screwed from this,” before going on to talk about their age group being responsible for paying off the debt caused by the virus. The pacey play is perfectly pitched, weighing in on pertinent ideas with a blend of authentic adolescent banter. The actors display remarkable chemistry despite the current restrictions in place. There is a mixture of laughter and tears here and it’s invigorating to see young men depicted in such an honest and raw light.

“They never cared about us before. Why now?” This is a point that permeates and lingers long after it’s made in the second play, Penny. Homeless Ray has been moved into a hotel and subsequently separated from his beloved Penny. FaceTiming her, Ray explains that social distancing is nothing new to him. Beautifully performed by Lennie James, this monologue is an angry but controlled piece that puts forward its case and gets out of there quickly, its surprise twist sure to leave a smile on your face.

Safer at Home is undoubtedly one of the strongest offerings of the first two episodes. Anna Maloney’s play tackles another prevalent concern thrown up by the pandemic: domestic abuse. Gemma Arterton is brilliantly understated as a pregnant wife who makes frequently desperate Skype calls to her mother in law, often alongside her husband (played by real life partner Rory Keenan). Behind the false facade of happiness lies an unwavering tension between the couple and we find ourselves quickly gripped by this disturbingly dark story. It is swiftly followed by some light relief with House Party, a humorous look at how the lockdown has forced us to interact with our neighbours for better or worse.

Theatre is often a response to the world in which we live. The art form brings people together, which is the reason why it will be one of the last industries to climb back on its feet. Film can never replicate its intimacy; but Unprecedented succeeds admirably in evoking that sense of togetherness. This comes not just through the heartfelt and poignant storytelling, but also through knowing that this project has been so lovingly created despite all the barriers presented by social distancing. Art and creativity goes on and when it comes down to it, we’re all in this together. Rich and life-affirming.

★★★★★

Jonathan Marshall

Unprecedented is released daily on BBC Four and on BBC iPlayer from 26th May 2020. For further information visit Headlong’s website here.

Related Itemsfeaturedreview

More in Cinema

The White Tiger

★★★★★
Emma-Jane Betts
Read More

Female filmmakers lead nominees for the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards

The editorial unit
Read More

Persian Lessons: Exclusive new clip

The editorial unit
Read More

Baby Done

★★★★★
Emma-Jane Betts
Read More

Quo Vadis, Aida?

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

The Exception

★★★★★
Guy Lambert
Read More

The New Music

★★★★★
Dan Meier
Read More

Persian Lessons

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Coming together in courage: 76 Days

★★★★★
Georgia Howlett
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Jonathan Marshall

Unprecedented

★★★★★

Release date

26th May 2020

Platform

BBC iPlayer

Links

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsite

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • You Me at Six – Suckapunch
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • An interview with Ifrah Ismael: Tales from the Front Line and other stories
    Theatre
  • The Queen’s Gambit: A chess story that’s not about the moves but the motives
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Persian Lessons
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The White Tiger
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Female filmmakers lead nominees for the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards
    Cinema
  • Persian Lessons: Exclusive new clip
    Cinema
  • Jeremiah Fraites: Piano Piano
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Quo Vadis, Aida?
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • WandaVision: Marvel’s charming sitcom proves an astounding success
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • The Queen’s Gambit: A chess story that’s not about the moves but the motives
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Undercover at Morpheus Show Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ten short literary collections to get you back into reading
    Literature
  • Mayor
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Groomed at Soho Theatre Online | Theatre review
The Wedding at Gecko Theatre Online | Dance review