Plymouth Theatre Review

Title: ‘5 Minute Call’

Venue: The House, Studio

Date: 31st May 2024, House Studio

Overall Rating: 4

‘5 Minute Call’ by Cerberus Theatre Company is a delightful short comedy that masterfully blends farce and humour to create a hilarious, relatable and captivating experience. Set in a dressing room 5 minutes before a show begins, the play offers a deeply comical portrayal of three actors grappling with their pre-show routine and personal quirks. This performance was the perfect show to be performed at Mayfest, a setting where the majority of the audience were performers and artists themselves and therefore connected to the piece, finding it easily relatable and vastly funny. This show truly is by actors, for actors, resonating with anyone who has experienced the thrill and chaos of backstage life.

The authenticity of the set was commendable, with just a table and doorframe being the main focal point on the stage. The table was filled with things you would expect to see in a dressing room; makeup and hair clips, drinks, headshots and ballet pumps (to name a few.) While these props mainly served as a backdrop for the action, the moments where props were used as part of the action and comedy were particularly memorable. There were endless possibilities for comedy laid out on that table, and I would have liked to have seen more instances of comedy with the items to elevate this production, as the moments they were used really shone.

The entrance of the actors into the space set the pace and hilarity we were in store for, with the actors entering the space via the black curtains draping the studio space. This was particularly funny to watch, especially when they peeked out at the audience to see how many people were in the audience tonight – a moment any actor can relate to! The writing was clever and authentic, with comedy also arising from the lines delivered amongst the physical and prop related comedic moments. Lines such as “ I am a star” and “Does anyone have an chocolate” were both relatable and funny, perfectly capturing the pre-show tension and eccentricities of performers. Filled with quick wit and over the top personalities the writing was adept at highlighting the bold personalities and relatable insecurities with charm and wit. What really worked with this show was the fact it didn’t take itself too seriously, wasn’t afraid to highlight the eccentric nature of actors and didn’t shy away from displaying typical actor tropes. The line “What actor doesn’t have a really traumatic childhood that is their entire personality?” Had the audience in stitches and added a layer of depth to the hilarity.

The acting and physical comedy felt fresh and had an unrehearsed feel to it, making the action exciting and giving a feeling that anything could happen next. It had a ‘TV comedy Sketch’ feel to it that put me in mind of French and Saunders style comedy; hilarious, written superbly and physically acted to create a fast paced and highly funny piece that couldn’t fail to make people laugh. There were moments in the play however, where I feel the lines between character and actor became blurred. At times it felt like an actor was breaking character slightly, I caught a couple of smirks that if being true to character and situation I don’t feel would have been there and I had a definite feeling that I was seeing the actor laugh rather than the character, which detracted from the scene and brought me out of the play somewhat. Deeper commitment to the situational comedy and a further commitment to staying in character throughout would have elevated this performance to a 5 star review. 

While ‘5 minute call’ was a fun, and charming portrayal filled with quick wit an humour, a stronger commitment to the farcical style could have made the characters even bigger and bolder in their hilarity and a deeper commitment to staying in the moment while remaining in character would have elevated it further. Nonetheless, it was an exciting, and enjoyable experience that left the audience in stitches and demonstrated perfectly that group performances do not need to have large casts in order to shine. The three actors clearly have a fantastic working relationship and they were a delight to watch together on stage, with palpable energy an enthusiasm for each other that spilled out into the audience, endearing us to their characters and leaving us wanting to see more. I feel with a little tweaking this show could be adapted into a five star very easily which is why this show nominated for the ‘Collective Brilliance’ award this year at Mayfest. For anyone who appreciates the chaos and humour that performance undoubtedly brings, this show is a must see and I look forward to seeing more from Cerberus Theatre Company in the future.