#jethro compton

Caitlin

People have been banging on at me to see a Jethro for ages now and I never have because I’m a cheapskate and it all seems a bit much for me. This ticket was free (thanks Sophie!) so we went. 

It was a good decision. Seeing a Jethro is basically not like seeing a Fringe show at all because they’re site-specific with a decent set rather than your usual students shuffling tables through a curtain. Like, normally I don’t even care that much about set but the inside of a lighthouse (is there a real word for that?) for Sirenia was amazing, from the impressively realistic clutter to the backlit shutters to indicate the weather outside.

Buuuuut when the best part of your show is the set, you know you haven’t quite nailed it. Sirenia is clunky in its writing - scene changes are covered by expositional radio news reports, and the parallels in the story might as well have neon signs lit over them as they’re so heavy-handedly pointed out to us. Plus, the ‘twist’ at the end was a bit underwhelming. 

Rob Pomfret does a stunning turn as lighthouse-keeper Isaac; he’s fraught with emotion, and plays perfectly to the size of the tiny room. Evie Tyler, as the mysterious girl he brings in from the storm, is at her best when shivering and holding on for life and a little grating whenever she has more to say. That said, I’m fairly sure any melodrama on her part was down to an unclear character rather than lack of ability. It is Jethro, after all. 

Joe

I mean, yeah. That pretty much covers it: however gorgeous your set and tech (those shuttered windows, nnnnngghh) it’s a bit of a waste of time if you’re gonna use it to news-report-exposition your way through a predictable story.