★★★ | Angel and Now We Are Pope, London Theatre, New Cross
Faith and desire clash in this premiere double-bill of one-man plays.
In ‘Angel’, a priest devotes his life to God and fights daily against the temptations of the flesh. Now he must confront the man – or angel – or demon that haunts him.
In ‘Now We Are Pope’, eccentric writer Frederick Rolfe rejoices in exile and the companionship of the gondoliers of Venice. Alone in his room he relives his most famous novel, Hadrian VII.
The London Theatre is an intimate fringe venue, with the actors alarmingly close to the audience, inhabiting a small sparse set. Both actors, Christopher Peacock and Christopher Annus, give strong performances. ‘Angel’ was the more powerful of the two monologues with a strong sinister theme that packed a punch. ‘Now We Are Pope’, although intriguing, was at times rambling and hard to follow. Frederick Rolfe is definitely an intriguing character with eccentricity abounding and is certainly a character that is worth reading more about.
The London Theatre is an interesting addition to the London Fringe Theatre scene. The double bill runs until the 23rd March 2014
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