Review | Crowbait's Showbait at The Lens Studio, Portsmouth: 'What an evening!'

A vote was then taken – the winning piece going through to the annual showcase.

The Portsmouth group started a year ago, and has now held its first showcase of nine 10 minute pieces. And what an evening!

First up was Nick Downes’ On the Quay (directed by April Singley) – A poignant exchange on loss between two strangers reaching out to one another. Played sensitively by both Nick Downes and by Tyrone Baptiste, whose character was mourning the loss of a friend.

In direct contrast to this was Joan Horton’s Lost and Found (directed by Jan Rawson), a comic sketch on the perils of blind dating. Central to the action was a suitably manic Tony Course, working his over-exuberant charms on hapless victim Yvonne Maxwell, whose mixture of bemusement and compassion was a joy to watch.

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In Impasse (directed by Steve Blackham) April Singley was Elizabeth the First. She was totally believable in the part. April’s performance was all the more remarkable as this most quintessentially English of English sovereigns when one remembers that she is native to Boston – her accent was impeccable. Equally impeccable was Poppy Lowles’s Irish-accented Pirate Queen, Grace O’Malley.

Based on a real-life encounter between these two monarchs, and though history does not relate exactly what passed between them, Singley’s script has admirably filled in those blanks.

In the second half, we were taken into a dystopian 2049 AD (written and directed by Jan Rawson) where the final implications for the survival of the human race were deeply disturbing.

Poignant and amusing was Claire Campbell’s Parked – a one woman show performed by Gail Oakley (directed by Jan Rawson), It was a credit to actor, writer and director, that though this was a static piece the audience remained riveted throughout.

Perhaps the most heart-warming piece of the evening was Tyrone Baptiste’s Frank and Joy (directed by Singley); a moving tribute to his grandparents exploring the nature of bereavement, and of finally having to say goodbye to the one we love. Sensitively played by David Penrose and Jan Rawson, the ‘twist’ at the end was both gentle and heart-breaking.

This then was Crowbait’s first Showbait – an entertaining, joyous and thought-provoking evening in the theatre, and giving voice to some brand new playwrights as well as celebrating a few who are already established.

An evening like this doesn’t just happen by itself, and it is to the credit of April Singley and her husband Christian Masters, the driving forces behind tonight’s programme, who have done a truly admirable and inspiring job in gathering together this group of actors, directors and writers.

It is to be hoped that this will be the first of many such special evenings that so enriches both the theatre scene in Portsmouth, and the community as a whole. More, please.