Ah, we are currently living in what is becoming the internet/app generation. Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, hashtag and apps galore mean that the means of communication these days are spiraling dangerously out of control. Through social media, everyone can be a ‘celebrity’, lives are accessible, people see what their neighbour is having for dinner, holidays are splashed all over our pages as we see people ‘loving life’ and being ‘on top of the world’. We can be who we want to be; or who we want to perceive ourselves and image to be. Wink, focuses on two main characters and the way in which social media has shaped their lives and the mistakes that can be made with the use of fake profiles and people not appearing who they seem. Wink is full one liner gems, which are hilarious and oh, so very real.
Sam Clemmett and Leon Williams bring this show to life and the play is really enhanced by the power and quality of their acting. We found ourselves mesmerized by their strong performance and we were engaged for the whole 90 minutes that the play ran for. Mark (Sam Clemmett as the 16 year old schoolboy who is dreaming bigger and reaching the age where he the opposite sex becomes an almost obsession. Things spiral out of hands when he creates a false Facebook profile, only to find out that the person he is chatting to, isn’t what he seems. Enter his 27 year old French teacher, John (Leon Williams). The two of them have several twists and turns as they compete, fight, engage and hilarious deceive each other through the power of social media. What really shines throughout this play is the realness of it and the fact that the actors were human and honest in their approach.
The set was so simple, yet so perfect. A simple white canvas, with a backdrop of ambience lifting music at the right time and a lighting direction which focused and draw attention where needed proved to be a very simple, yet striking set, which gave the play a great feel. Tension and drama are also felt throughout the play and you really feel and warm to both characters. The play is 90 minutes in length, without an interval and it is completely intense in its quality of script, from start to finish.
With Wink, Phoebe Eclair-Powell has proven what a talented young writer she is. We really look forward to seeing what Phoebe comes up with in the future and we will be keeping an eye out for her future work, with eagerness. Wink is a joy and we thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Wink is currently being shown in the tiny and intimate Theatre 503, in Battersea, which is gaining a most excellent reputation for staging some very strong work.
