Review: Unicorn Party-Harlow Playhouse-October 13th

THERE are many times when you don’t know what to expect when you sit down to review a play. This was certainly one of those occasions. A day later, this reviewer is still uncertain as to whether this play was an incoherent mess or a complex piece of political theatre.

The one hour one man show was dedicated to the subject of unicorns. The preview piece read: “Let’s talk about unicorns and all the things they’ve got for us to look at….”

Sure enough, the play cited unicorn cooking channels on youtube, a unicorns lair discovered in North Korea to name just two. It also had a unicorn party (as it said on the tin).

And sure enough, as this reviewer is writing, he is googling unicorn and even unicorn party and it is everywhere.

As performer Neil Field makes political references during the play (Brexit, Jacob Rees-Mogg) there is both clearly and subtly a reference to the present and perhaps political map.

So this was a zeitgeist piece that this reviewer could not warm to but it left a mark. We left thinking this was no better than the ramblings of a bloke on the back of the bus (unicorns there everywhere and taking over the world). But now, not so sure.

The small audience seemed to engage with the play but may have left it somewhat bemused but then again, isn’t that what performance theatre should do?