Drama live on air in Pontypool

L-R: Grant Mazzy (Mark Roberts), Dr Mendez (Connor Carson), Sydney Briar (Juliet Swan Seaton). Photo by Richard Smith.

Pontypool by Tony Burgess at The Loft Studio, Leamington Spa from 21 – 25 April. Directed by Hannah Brown.

Review by Ann Evans

The Loft’s intimate studio theatre felt like the ideal venue for this play. The action takes place in a radio station in the basement of the local church. So, for the Loft’s audience filling the two rows of seats either side of the ‘stage’, felt as if we were sitting in the radio station, observing like flies on the wall.

Beacon Radio is set in the snowy town of Pontypool in Ontario, Canada. It’s normally a quiet town where nothing much happens and the radio broadcasters talk about lost cats, the weather and school closures. We’re there at the start of a normal day, as the two producers/techies arrive. These are Sydney Briar (Juliet Swan Seaton) and Laurel Ann Drummond (Kate Sanders). They quietly get set up for the day ahead. It’s Valentines Day, and Sydney has received a card.

Grant Mazzy (Mark Roberts), Sydney Briar (Juliet Swan Seaton), Laurel Ann Drummond (Kate Sanders). Photo by Richard Smith.

The arrival of Beacon Radio’s new presenter. Grant Mazzy (Mark Roberts) livens everything up. But then we’re plunged into darkness and time stands still, we listen to a narrator providing us with some information. Lights up, and everyone swings into action.

The set designer. Caitlin Mills and the Loft’s team of builders have done a really good job in creating a believable glass walled studio from where Grant Mazzy broadcasts. Outside of this but facing Grant, is the producer’s desk. They communicate with mics, earphones and hand gestures.

All is not well at Beacon Radio. Photo by Richard Smith.

Mark Roberts takes the role of radio presenter Grant Mazzy excellently, as a loud, totally over the top, talkative character who doesn’t want to chat about everyday events like school closures and the weather. Grant pretty much says whatever he likes, ignoring his producers’ efforts to keep him in check. And to begin with he tries to shake the listeners up with stories of riots, and drunken policemen. It doesn’t go down well with his two producers.

However, while Grant is making up stories, a real incident is starting to take place in the town, Crowds are gathering around Doctor Mendez’s surgery, and they are getting out of hand. When reports come in of people dying and brutally killing one another, none of the radio team can believe it.

Tensions rise. Photo by Richard Smith.

But the reports keep coming in, and Grant lets these people speak live on his radio show, much to the dismay of producer Sydney Briar who is horrified at what she’s hearing and doesn’t want it broadcast to the world. While the tension is building up outside, no one really notices that Laurel Ann is becoming sick, convulsing, and gradually turning into a zombie-like state, just like the rest of the town’s population.

Must say, well done to the Loft sound and lighting technicians, as there are lots of occasions where we are plunged into darkness, and these moments were right on cue every time. Also, when we’re hearing from characters out there in the town, they are also right on cue, and conversations between Grant and the people he talks to are synchronised perfectly.

The voice overs are from Giles Allen-Bowden, Luca Catena, Julien Rosa, Michael Barker, Sage Figueroa, Phil Reynolds, Simon Truscott and Jonathan Fletcher who also composed the music for the play.

Kate Sanders as Laurel Ann in rehearsals. Photo by Richard Smith.

The atmosphere becomes more tense as the horror stories continue to come in and Laurel Ann becomes more violent. They are joined by Doctor Mendez (Connor Carson), dishevelled and injured, and as Laurel Ann’s behaviour grows worse, the three have to lock themselves inside the glass walled studio, terrified of their colleague who becomes more and more deranged.

Good acting by all four actors and plenty of suspense, particularly when it’s pitch black and there’s an insane blood-splattered maniac crawling and running around this relatively small studio space – so, very entertaining!

The characters and the audience gradually start to understand what has caused the madness, which is quite a unique concept – but sorry, no spoilers! There’s a lot of action towards the end of the play, so it felt a little unnecessary for the long speech by Grant Mazzy at the very end. And while actor Mark Roberts delivered the speech excellently, it felt to this reviewer like an unnecessary verbal indulgence on the part of the writer – whether you agree, is up to you. 

So, a very entertaining production, well-acted, great backstage work, packed with suspense. Pontypool runs until 25 April.

For tickets:  https://lofttheatrecompany.com/