Pop Music

Pop with Snapple and Crack

Pop Music

by Anna Jordan

Teddington Theatre Club at the Coward Studio, Hampton Hill Theatre until 16^th March

Review by Steve Mackrell

It’s only rock ‘n roll, but it provides a rich soundtrack to the story of our lives.  Pop Music, staged by the Teddington Theatre Club in the Coward Studio, has served up a stimulating evening of toe-tapping music and emotionally charged entertainment with intelligence, wit and poignant dramatic content.  In essence, the play is a dialogue between two guests at a wedding reception, held in a local disco, and their subsequent recollections of their experiences, from early school life to middle-age, against a background of contemporary pop music. 

Written by Brentford born playwright Anna Jordan, Pop Music opened in 2018, and followed her earlier award-winning play, Yen.  As well as being a playwright, she also writes for film and television, with recent work including episodes of Killing Eve and the Netflix series One Day. 

Pop Music, a two-hander, is set in Danny Danger’s disco club in Barnsley.  The set consists of a startling black and white chequerboard disco floor which provides a canvas for this fast-moving and energetic show which explores the past lives of the two protagonists. 

Movement is key, with both actors dancing with style and skill, and maintaining high energy levels throughout.  The accompanying disco music, appropriate but not intrusive, is also key and uses a rich selection of some thirty engaging and familiar pop songs as background to their conversations of discovery.  The play is also a reminder of the power of songs to trigger memories and, through their lyrics, to provide dreams of love and happiness or, alternatively, to provide solace in misery and despair.  The two characters embarking on this discovery of themselves, through their shared love of dance and pop music, are Kayla, and her dance partner, simply known by the letter G. 

Natasha Nicola’s lithe and supple Kayla is a whirlwind of youthful energy, both coquettish yet knowing, with a purposefulness which takes total command of her safe territory, the disco floor.  Clad in a soft pink trouser suit, she captured the frustrations of this wannabe singer, with her mantra that “pop brings hope.”  She also tells with conviction the story of her developing maturity from early sexual awakenings, with “cheap perfume” and “Bulgarian wine”, through to the mediocrity of marriage in later life and “my husband couldn’t even pick out my vagina in a line-up”.  She recalls with detached amusement the innocent discovery of her growing sexuality, “at times I could shag a dog”, which was reminiscent of Voltaire’s optimistic Candide or, more recently, Emma Stone’s Bella Baxter in the film fantasy Poor Things.  Especially powerful were her poignant monologues such as “I used to think detail matters” where she ruefully reflects on the evils of chin hair and bad manicures.

Playing the suited and booted character G, was Josh Clarke, with an immaculately observed and nuanced performance in perfect contrast to the ebullient Kayla.  His was a story of hope and possibilities because, “life is like a pop song,” but seemingly doomed to failure.  Again, some beautifully delivered monologues, including a magnificently funny rap and, toward the end, a very poignant and intense memory of his mother’s terminal cancer.

Against an eclectic soundtrack of emotive songs, exhorting undying love, or alternatively, the pain of unrequited love, Ian Kinane’s direction was sharp and full of pace.  Even with only two characters, the stage was kept alive with a constant flow of non-stop movement and tightly executed action.  The fast dialogue, well observed pauses and facial reactions of both actors were realistic and perfectly timed, as their conversations veered between emotions from happiness to sadness.  Without doubt, the actors ably captured the spirit of this well-crafted script with its dancefloor dialogue, clever imagery and contemporary references, together with the many random asides such as “music reminds us of the last corners of our minds”.

The skill of choreographer Gita Singham-Willis also shone through in creating various dancing styles which appeared both convincing and spontaneous, and indeed, full of memorable movement.  The routines to the many catchy “earworm” songs were slick and well-observed, even down to the so-called “slut drop” to Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).  The two actors, always dancing individually, moved with a constant fluidity, as they performed different interpretations of dance. 

Pop Music made an excellent choice for the intimate space of the TTC Studio which is well-suited for showcasing the more unusual and adventurous productions.  This was a joyful and uplifting production full of movement and music and witty dialogue which was both compelling and heart-warming.  A great team effort and a solid production with spot-on lighting and sound design from Patrick Troughton.  This was a gem of a show with immaculate split-second technical cues, impressive set and topped by excellent direction with two sparkling performances.

“Is life like a pop song?”  Come on, Eileen!  Go and see it. 

Steve Mackrell, March 2024

Photography by Dave Shortland