Review: Maybe I Should Stop (Burton Taylor Studio, Oxford)

It was a pleasure to be invited to review Maybe I Should Stop at the Burton Taylor Studio in Oxford on the first day of its tour.

The synopsis caught my eye as soon as I read the press release:

Aaron, an out-of-work entertainer, has nicked his dad's ashes and hidden them in a tub of chocolates. Now he’s on his way to Cornwall with no money, a half-baked plan and the police in hot pursuit. Catch him while you can!

This production by To The Tooth Theatre was written by Oscar Brudenall-Jones who also performs it. There is no set to speak of. Just a chair, a rucksack, a Celebrations tub and a few other props. But this is an example of fringe theatre where you need no more than that as your eyes will be following the performer wherever they go.

The writing is superb. Being able to find comedic moments in the situations written about – and for it not to sound like these have been added in for effect, demonstrates a skilled hand, and this also shows this piece has been very well developed. I imagine in particular the comedic elements have taken some tweaking over time.

Likewise, the performance was perfect, with no dips in the pace or strength of delivery. I always imagine being a solo performer where all eyes on you must be incredibly pressured. This show was engaging, funny at times, insightful at others, and had a strong emotional impact as well.  Writing like this, with the ability to evoke so many different emotions in a short space of time is incredibly difficult and yet the delivery of it looked effortless and it all comes together in a nice piece which sits in your head afterwards, making you think.

Writing can be a very therapeutic thing to do in times of heightened stress.  But to develop it into a show of this quality for others to enjoy, despite the prompt being personal grief and loss is admirable.

The lighting (Conor Costelloe) is used to great effect and with absolutely perfect timing.  At the beginning the light changed with the delivery, with the character, Aaron, alternating between obvious, open, quiet, grieving and an almost “way of coping” larger than life sense of humour, showcasing grief in its many guises.  The lighting sequences subtly changed through the show, and eventually became chaotic and then ceased. This, alongside the glimpses of the demonstration of the cover up of the character’s true feelings helped a play about death and loss in the time of Covid, and the ongoing repercussions of that, be not quite as intense and depressing as you may imagine.

Direction by Esalan Gates kept the flow from scene to scene and emotion to emotion seamless and effective.

I had initially wondered if it was a bit soon for me to watch a play about the aftermath of lockdown. This was definitely not the case.

Standing at one hour long this one-hander has a huge impact in the runtime, and feels complete at this length as well.

The forthcoming tour dates can be found on the To The Tooth Website. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you would like to see my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.

I was gifted a ticket for this show in exchange for an honest review.