Broaches some important issues but slow, lacking emphasis and execution
Entering the intimate Union Theatre in groups to our unassigned seats, we sat down to see a strange seemingly baron set. Stage right; a pocket of a Victorian living room. Stage left; the back of a piano, a table and what appeared to be the same three tacky outdoor chairs my mum bought from the local garden centre, propped against the wall. Upstage; an undisguised smoke machine beneath the large bare brick wall. Dare I say I was intrigued to see what would follow this.
‘Ghosts on a Wire’ is written by Linda Wilkinson and performed by the sextuplet of Ali Kemp, Andrew Fettes, Deborah Klayman, Gerri Farrell, Timothy Harker and Tom Neill. All six actors playing two characters, bar Tom Neill, who juggled three. The story follows several historical figures and their opinions, hopes and fears for electricity and the future of Blackfriars and London. We see Mary Shelley, William Blake, Michael Faraday and Hester Thrale as ‘ghosts’ in 20th Century Blackfriars as the local community (including historic social reformer Octavia Hill) battle with the development of the world’s largest coal powered electricity plant. Although the play looks to address some issues that are still pertinent to Blackfriars, London and the world to this day, it seems confused, often slow-paced and lacked the conviction I was craving.
Linda Wilkinson uses satire and exaggerated characters in attempt to tackle some serious issues for the working class of Blackfriars and future generations without driving the audience into a collective state of depression. However, through a combination of over-ambitious writing, poor direction and very sub-standard acting; the story fails to grasp the audience and drive home the key messages.
The show is advertised online to have “spectacular back projection effects and photography”. However, when the bare brick wall was illuminated by the projector I was, for the most part, both confused and underwhelmed. Some of the artistic choices to project were baffling. For instance, one of the opening scenes played host to a large Victorian building, quite fitting, but in two of the windows were what appeared to be parrots. These parrots were two or three times the size of an average human.
The projections of wild electricity were used to helpfully identify entrances of the ‘ghosts’ as all six cast members multi-rolled throughout. This was particularly helpful as were it not for these projections and some swift accessory changes some of the characters may be difficult to distinguish. I found the acting extremely disappointing, especially after noting one or two impressive credits and reading that one of the cast had graduated from Drama Studio London. If I don’t say, you will find it hard to spot who.
The pace felt very slow in large parts due to very static scenes where the conversation seemed clunky. Often you could sense the actors thinking of their lines and waiting for their cues rather than listening and reacting. Regularly lines lacked power and emphasis when delivered without rises, falls and an objective. With a significant number of static scenes consisting of heavy dialogue the conversation had to flow and engage. Through some combination of writing, directing, and performing these scenes failed in this regard.
Towards the end of the second act this disjointed and confused production baffled even further when the piano (multi-rolling as a bar) was rolled round to centre stage. The cast then preceded to break the fourth wall for the first (and only) time during the show, offering the audience an opportunity to join in as they formed a ‘barbershop sextuplet’ and sang. The scene was accompanied with karaoke lyrics projected behind. I looked around stunned, trying to catch expressions of anyone else in the audience. No one joined in, and the show continued.
Southwark Council commissioned a previous play by Linda Wilkinson, ‘Albion in Flames’, in 2019 as part of the ‘Blackfriars Stories’ program, about the world’s first steam powered flour mill, in Blackfriars. Following this production, Southwark Council commissioned ‘Ghosts on a Wire’ in 2020, delayed two years due to Covid (or about two hundred years if you are William Blake). Linda Wilkinson crowdfunded to make sure the actors and creative team were paid properly for their work. This act I thought was a particularly nice touch considering one of the key themes of the story revolves around the exploitation of workforce in Blackfriars.
However, I could not recommend this show. Especially for the younger(ish) audience who are not from Southwark, as you’ll find full price tickets are £25 if you are not a Southwark resident. Just a short stroll down The Cut there are many other shows with better production, plots and acting for the same price or cheaper. However, if you have a very keen interest in history, particularly that pertaining to Blackfriars and the industrial revolution, and a proclivity for confused and lacklustre theatre, look no further.