DOIG

Time Out says  ****

Thursday 10th September 2009

                                                                                                                       Picture by Simon Reilly

'Doig!', as it turns out, isn't a musical. In fact, apart from a jazzy piece of free-form mime dance at the beginning of the show (think Torrance Community Dance Group in Fatboy Slim's 'Praise You' video) it features hardly any music at all. But very little is as it seems in Greg Freeman's wickedly clever new satire.

On director Ken McClymont's inventive set, decorated with a moveable wall of quilted refuse sacks which close in on our beleaguered hero, the evils of capitalist greed and celebrity culture are ripped to shreds - with plenty comedic muscle. Following a very public fall from grace, the eponymous Doig decides to opt out of his world of consumerism and double-speak, finding sanctuary in his very own 'ism', the central tenets of which require followers to relinquish all material goods, live in a cave wearing nothing but a recycling bag and believe in the power of pixies.
In the hands of lesser talent, this absurdist tale would probably self-combust from a foolishness overload, but Freeman (hitherto best known as the adaptor of popular '90s TV series 'The Upper Hand'), McClymont and their fantastic young cast of recent GSA graduates eschew preachiness and head-scratching nonsense by keeping a firm eye on 'Doig!'s deeper philosophical truths.
Rhys King is particularly good as the flailing protagonist, whose descent into madness coincides with his spiritual enlightenment, as is Kate Victors as his nefarious boss Ralph, who turns 'Doigism' into a multi-national brand - 'non-consumerism from a consumerist perspective'. Add to that the fact that one lucky audience member will win the entire box office takings every Monday night, and you've got yourself a piece of fringe theatre that from concept to execution is utterly bonkers but quite brilliant.
[Tamara Gausi]

 

Friday 4th September 2009

The Tabard has started its autumn season with a very fine play indeed.
Doig's themes are up-to-the-minute - consumerism, green issues and exploitation - and they are dealt with in an adult and intelligent way, which may sound old-fashioned, but then so do Shaw and Priestly.
From the start it kept me riveted in my seat and eager to know what came next.
Doig is a man in disgrace, he has nothing to lose, so he decides to lose everything, leaving himself only a large recycling bag and his name, and finally even these are exploited.
As Doig, Rhys King gives a performance of great power, Harriet Ryder as his sister, Kate Victors as his boss, and James Sygrove as his life-style advisor give admirable support.
The director/designer Ken McKlymont does a fine job in both these spheres and brings out the very best in this play.
I'm going to stick my neck out here. I believe that Greg Freeman's play has quite a way to go, and anyone who takes a seat at the Tabard, bringing their brain-box, with them will be proud to be one of the earliest to recognise its quality.
[Richard Langton]