One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been the opportunity to see theatre from more places we might not have had the opportunity to before. This week we watched “Medium Font” which was filmed at the Stables Theatre in Hastings.
“Medium Font” is a one woman play, written and directed by Ben Randall. It starts with Lucy Verity, played by Claire-Monique Martin, asking if she is a liar. As the live audience are her friends it’s the at home audience she needs to convince she isn’t. To do this she gives what appears to be a Ted Talk explaining how she discovered she was a clairvoyant and how her life changed as a result of it.
Claire-Monique Martin was convincing in the role and embodied the character but as it was meant to be a Ted Talk I would have liked to see a more relaxed performance. Live on stage it may have worked better but on film it felt staged and rehearsed rather than a woman talking naturally about her life.
The story itself is intriguing and takes a dark turn fairly early on. There is a lot packed into its 28 minutes but the limited time meant many parts were rushed. I would really like to see the story explored in more depth. This felt like a pitch for a much longer play where each part of the story would be explored in much more detail. This could easily become a 2-hour suspenseful play. This was a great introduction but ended it feeling there was a lot more to know.
I have to mention the sound which was patchy in parts. Given this was filmed it could have been resolved in editing and they should be aware of blackspots around the stage. But the lighting was used to good effect making certain moments stand out more.
It’s an enjoyable 30 minutes and I’d recommend watching it. You can see it online here.
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