ALMOST SOBER
CLUB 121, 126 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington
24/07/2018 - 04/08/2018
Production Details
written by Ben Wilson
directed by Keegan Bragg
121 Theatre Space
Drunken epiphanies, fights in bars and a lost jacket.
“Get an Uber, drive through Courtenay place sober and it’s like being on safari.”
Performed at Club 121, Almost Sober is the first theatre piece presented by 121 Theatre Space; and the latest play written by Ben Wilson (Wellington Theatre Awards 2016 Nominee ‘Fred is Cold’) and directed by Keegan Bragg (Co-Artistic Director of Long Cloud Youth Theatre).
Its past twelve am. Brian is looking for his jacket. Cass turned eighteen today and is experiencing Wellington town for the first time. The drug dealer Darion wants to fight Colin Wakefield; nobody’s told Colin. The bartender is at their wits end, three yo-pros want to kill their flat mates, and that boy in his room can’t help playing Fortnite.
Over the course of one night, in Wellington town, thirteen people cross paths as they go from tipsy, to drunk, to almost sober. Characters and moments interlink as they dance, laugh, fight and cry; building a mosaic of a city and the young people it makes and breaks in the early hours of the morning.
“I love this place man. I can tell you that without any hesitation. It’s the most social, isolating, young at heart place in the world.”
Using Club 121 as a new performance space Almost Sober is an odyssey through Wellington’s nightlife. A new theatre experience putting audiences at the heart of our young, drunk city.
Almost Sober
CLUB 121, 126 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington
24th July – 4th August 2018
7.30pm
Tickets: $15
Limited Door Sales
Bookings: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/club121/179815
Theatre ,
Only scrapes the surface
Review by Stevie Hancox-Monk 25th Jul 2018
At a run time of just over 2 hours, Almost Sober is held together by a strong and consistent ensemble. The script, however, is underdeveloped. It has no stakes, unsatisfying character resolutions and, as its run time reveals, it could do with some judicious editing.
The performance space – a small dark bar on Cuba Street – obviously helps to create the environment, but it does offer some challenges such as sightlines as it is not a conventional theatre venue.
The cast give energetic and lively performances. Emma Katene as the Bartender proves a highlight with her grounded character and a stunning musical interlude; it is disappointing that she only sings once. Brit O’Rourke’s performance as Cass is excellent but is sadly undercut by the triviality of her character’s objective, which appears to be ‘going to town’. The dramaturgy seems to suggest that Cass should be the protagonist, but her story is superseded by Brian’s, played by Ben Wilson, the playwright.
As a development piece, this play only scrapes the surface of what it is to live, hate and love in Wellington City. Perhaps with further work, it could find complexity and explore deeper themes in a sharp, focussed way.
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