(Above l to r) Robert Scobie + Abraham Parker in Bloom Photo Credit VocalPoint Theatre
Review by Jo Tomalin
www.ForAllEvents.com.
Bloom
Abraham Parker
Photo Credit VocalPoint Theatre
Moving Stories from the Glasgow Soup Kitchen
Four Stars ****
The Glasgow Mission Soup Kitchen is rich with characters whose lives change and experience poverty and homelessness. Robert Scobie and Abraham Parker of VocalPoint Theatre – with considerable theatre training, acting and directing experience – want to give a voice to these people, so they volunteered in this soup kitchen for a year and blend verbatim accounts of two individuals with a storytelling style to create Bloom.
Scobie and Parker first set the scene directly to the audience as themselves, showing us the layout of the soup kitchen and a quick rundown of the vital volunteers running the place, then they transition into their characters with a firm slam of the black metal chairs and change of posture, it’s simple and effective.
Bloom
Robert Scobie
Photo Credit VocalPoint Theatre
Video of green fields show on the two TV screens stacked to the left as Scobie starts his story with his character’s love of football and the European Cup Final, in his youth. Next, Parker takes over as his character tells about his life living as a child in Torrance on the Southern California coast, the video changes to a beach. You get the idea it is the calm before the storm, idyllic fields and waves on the sand – an equalizer – that everyone has an even chance before life deals what it deals.
The stories go back and forth and parallel each other chronologically, dealing with family, fathers, mothers, girlfriends, growing up, tragedy and arriving at the Soup Kitchen. However, they are contrasting characters regarding their childhood to adult years – and Scobie’s character is Scottish and walks 20 miles round trip each day to visit the soup kitchen, while Parker’s character is born in Los Angeles, moved to Ireland, Liverpool and so far, Glasgow.
Bloom
(l to r) Abraham Parker and Robert Scobie
Photo Credit VocalPoint Theatre
Scobie and Abraham are strong actors and physical storytellers, and take turns listening, telling and supporting each other on stage. Memorable moments include when Parker’s character is a teenager sneaking home to find his father questioning him – in a brilliant flash Parker becomes his own father as Scobie momentarily becomes Parker’s teenager…this theatrical ‘split screen’ and at least another subtle connection or two like it enhanced the interplay of two separate stories enormously. Genius.
The grey cement ceiling and institutional walls of this theatre space work perfectly as the soup kitchen environment, and the spare set with metal chairs and two TVs (which add the only colour) are appropriate.
During this journey we learn little things about life in the soup kitchen, like there’s a Glory Cupboard with shampoo etc. anything “to make it slightly easier to get through the next 24 hours.” There is also a women’s floor but most at the soup kitchen are men.
This is immersive theatre – like real life – and allows us to live vicariously as others for a short time, we can learn from this as well as be enlightened, entertained. It’s a fascinating show and it’s all not a downer – but shows that everyone has hopes and dreams no matter their circumstance. In short, Parker and Scobie have created a 55 minute slice of life that they are passionate about sharing and it deserves to be seen.
Location:
Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61)
56 Cowgate, EH1 1EG
Performances: at 14:40, July 31 -August 24.
Suitability: 14+ (Guideline)
Box office: 0844 545 8252
- Tickets and More Info: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bloom
- Vocalpoint Theatre: http://www.vocalpointtheatre.co.uk/
- Underbelly Edinburgh Fringe: http://www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/
Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
More Reviews by Jo Tomalin
TWITTER @JoTomalin
www.forallevents.com Arts & Travel Reviews
