The one-woman show written and directed by Simon MacDonald and performed by Alice McCraken, Sometime, Somewhere tells the story of Nina who has gone missing after a tragedy through her friend Allie. Allie and Nina worked at the same hair salon and Allie tells a customer, us, the story of her friend she misses very much.
I would have to be honest and start by saying that I expected much more from this play. From reading the description of the play, I expected more on the effects of media on people’s lives, especially because this was inspired by the Caroline Flack tragedy. While there is a brief commentary that the gossip in the media is written because people like us are still interested in reading it and how things are difficult for Nina after reporters start chasing her, I think it was too brief to be a central theme and felt a little like a missed opportunity.
The narration was hard to follow. Especially at the beginning, listening to Allie felt like listening to an old grandma talking about the times before you were born, and about people you don’t know and you just sit there trying to follow and nodding along when you can’t. The second half was a little bit easier when we finally get to Nina’s story but in general, the narration was monotonous and lacking in movement. There was minimal use of props to only set up the scene which I believe made it a little limiting for the actor, too. I understand the seat was used to give the impression of Allie talking to a customer, however, it limited her movement, leaving her behind the chair most of the time. While I appreciate the concept of a hairdresser passing on the ‘news,’ I think the use of more actors would have made this play more dynamic and engaging.
The use of lights was good, especially to convey the arrival of the police, and Alice McCraken’s acting was quite convincing as Allie, the energetic and chatty hairdresser who is also worried about her friend. Not exactly related to the performance but I also would like to mention that I love the poster for this show designed by Natcha Chirapiwat. The topic had potential but unfortunately, I felt a little lost. I am hoping that the creators of this shop decide and receive the opportunity to expand on this show.
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