Deborah Heath rolls a D12 and gets her geek on at the Abbey Theatre for the Company of Ten’s latest production…
It may only be 1st February but please don’t underestimate the significance of me saying that ‘She Kills Monsters’ is the best play I have seen this year! I expect that it will continue to occupy this position for a long time. So what makes this play a “must see” event? Quite simply it is a superb script that has been expertly executed by an ambitious director and an energetic young cast. Think of the fighting and spectacle of ‘Scott Pilgrim’ and a celebration of all things geek that would put ‘The Big Bang Theory’ to shame. Add to this winning mix four strong female lead roles and the sadly uplifting tale of a young woman coming to terms with the loss of her younger sister. ‘She Kills Monsters’ is a piece of raw material that director Roger Bartlett was burning to produce. I give huge credit to Company of Ten for taking the risk on this bold, modern piece of theatre. The story in a nutshell is about Agnes who discovers a Dungeons and Dragons game that her younger sister Tilly wrote before she died. Wanting process to her grief and get to know the hidden side of Tilly, Agnes begins to play the game under the guidance of Dungeon Master Chuck. As the story continues, we see how the main party of adventurers relate to real people in Tilly’s life and this illustrative chopping between fantasy and reality is brilliantly written. Fortunately, Roger Bartlett’s taste in plays is as fine as his casting skills. The energy and passion soaring through the young cast was palpable and this combined with their talent and diversity reflects Company of Ten’s commitment to being a forward-thinking company with their finger on the pulse. It was great to see themes of sexual identity and disability being explored in the context of this modern play. Tanishia Gearing as Agnes and Benedict Gaskin as Chuck have already impressed me in previous productions. In ‘She Kills Monsters’ though, they really came into their own. Both actors were strong, confident and totally at one with their role both the comic and tragic components.
Company of Ten newcomer Manika Sweeney was equally stand out as Tilly, demonstrating a beguiling calmness and mastery of her character. The raw power and resonance of Cameron Elias‘ voice brought me out in goose bumps and he portrayed both demon Orcus and Geek Ronnie with ease. I applaud the vocal and accent skills of Ben Cammack as slightly slimy but misunderstood boyfriend Miles. The rest of the cast were super too and the sense of teamwork was clear. My only criticism is that the American accents were not universally strong across the whole cast but given that everything else worked so well I didn’t find this distracting. I have seldom seen fight choreography as exquisite as this and was not surprised to learn that Roger Bartlett is a professional fight director. I was blown away by the balletic nature of these scenes and given that there were so many of them I was in for a treat! You would think that a play about a teenager’s death would be tragic but with the focus more on self-discovery there were plenty of opportunities for comic misunderstanding such as the moment when it seems like teacher Agnes is having an affair with a teenage Dungeon Master. I also loved the confusion arising over the badly executed euphemism of “unpacking” and the ineptitude of the school guidance counsellor Vera played with great timing by Deniz Simsek Duhig. ‘She Kills Monsters’ is on until 3rd February and is so widely appealing that I encourage every reader to get a ticket, whether you are a D&D fan or not. However, I particularly urge teenagers to attend because the themes are so pertinent to them and the action so breathtaking. For any student of drama this is also a great example of a play staged in a minimal way that still packs a punch with the use of a fantastic soundtrack, carefully selected costumes and props and well used projections. Company of Ten, I smiled constantly throughout this play and therefore I take my monster-shaped hat off to you – thank you and bravo!
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