An Experiment with an Air Pump – Lion and Unicorn, London
Directed: Liisa Smith
Music: Angus Moncrieff
Reviewer: Carmel Doohan
The Public Reviews Rating: 
This is a beautifully written play, exploring complex issues with subtlety, imagination and wit. The production is a faithful performance of the text but often weakly acted. While Rae Brogan in the dual roles of daughter and fellow scientist, has a presence and style that energizes her small parts, Steven Lello, playing the central characters of Dr Fenwick and Tom, too often stumbles over his lines and remains unconvincing.
The play intertwines the run up to the new year in two different centuries on the English/Scottish border. As the eighteenth century draws to a close Dr Fenwick, his colleagues and his family discuss ideas of progress and what the future may hold. His relationship with his wife is well used to show inequalities of the day and allows a moving discussion on what love might actually mean. As the 21st century arrives, in the same house- that has now been to be sold to the Heritage trail for ‘Disneyfication’- the same discussuins are taking place, only now the Dr is the wife.
Ellen is having an ethical dilemma about whether to take a new job that involves experimenting on embryo’s; this draws parallels with past experiments and lets questions around the sanctity of life and the danger of knowledge be further developed. There is also darker action at play beneath the philosophy; issues of class and disposability are skilfully handled and by the climax the idea of using human life for ones own gain is played out in practice as well as theory. Shelagh Stephenson’s script remains tight and insightful throughout, refusing to provide any concrete conclusions, but Holly Clark who plays both Mrs Fenwick and Ellen, does not quite give either the depth or range they demand.
It is a shame that this skilfully structured and multi-layered play has not been given the subtlety of direction that it needs; the music is too often hammy and the static set has none of the realism that the writing calls for. However, despite lacking the full passion or tension that the script could convey, the power of this story ensures that it remains a watchable and very interesting piece.
Photo: Alexander Ford
Runs until 12th November
Tags: Camden, Ethics, Experiment with an Air Pump, Green Olive, Lion and Unicorn, Science, Shelagh Stephenson.
6:58 pm on October 21st, 2011
Disagree completely – I saw this production last night and thought it was complex, dark and excellently executed.
Don’t be put off by this review – there are others out there that give a more in depth and honest analysis.
To be honest this is a very lazy account – barely a paragraph on the actual performance itself?
3:28 pm on October 22nd, 2011
I am, by my own admission, not the best to tell you what makes a good play. I barely go to plays and know nothing about acting or anything like that. I’m just someone who saw the flyer in the pub downstairs and fancied giving it a go. Afterwards, I wanted to know more about it. I looked for reviews but could only find this one.
There’s a lot of rubbish on telly and in films – but this is intelligent. An Experiment with an Air Pump (at first I thought – comical title) is an absoutely entertaining, thrilling show and I’m gonna see it again. I took a cheeky couple of flyers as well to pass to friends.
Look as I said, I know nothing about this stuff, and I’m a fond believer in letting people have their say (after all this is a public reviewing site). But having searched around and having read another review of the show, where it explained this show as a hidden gem of London – I for one am proud to say I got to see it sparkle. (Was that a nice ending? I think so).
I recommend to you all out there – go to the show and make your own mind up.
5:02 pm on November 1st, 2011
I totally agree with jim’s comments. For someone like me who cannot sit in one place the story telling was absorbing and catchy. The music score adds to the character of the play. Only negative comment is that the first 15-20 minutes is painfully slow.