REVIEW: INGROWN @ BARONS COURT THEATRE

🎭 Ingrown

📍 Barons Court Theatre, 28a Comeragh Road, London, W14 9HR

🗓 Monday 11th December 2022

⭐️⭐️⭐⭐

ONE BOY AND THE TWO SIDES OF HIMSELF

Last night I was invited back to London's Barons Court Theatre to review the one-man play Ingrown.

Written and performed by Emre Gunes, we enter the somewhat chaotic mind of his character as he juggles the challenges of boys, school and acceptance.

It's as if he's both introverted and extroverted in equal measures. His extroverted self will dance unashamedly and will shout and be cheeky, but he keeps taking himself underwater, to his safe place.

This is where he can be alone with his thoughts, without interference.

Because of the hectic nature of his mind, it is perhaps at times difficult to follow exactly the path of his journey, but it is essentially an easy watch.

I didn't expect it to be as funny as it was and there were some real laugh out loud moments throughout.

Gunes shines as a performer. He has that special quality that makes you forget you're watching a play and it's as if his character is a real person talking to you.

It seems completely unscripted, as if he's saying things as they come into his mind. This makes for an incredible piece of theatre.

With a run time of just 45 minutes, it felt as if it was over too quickly. I was intrigued by the character and wanted to know more about him. Maybe in the future there will be an opportunity to expand the piece a little more.

That being said it was a great little watch, superbly executed. There were also some fun bits of audience interaction too.

With direction by Ellie Rose Amit, the space was used incredibly well and as this venue has seats on three sides of the performance space, it felt that it mattered not where you sat as it had been staged with this in mind.

Ingrown has one more performance at Barons Court Theatre on Monday 19th December. Head to www.baronscourttheatre.com where you can buy tickets and check out details of other upcoming productions at the venue.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest and free from influence.

My ticket for this performance was gifted as I was invited to review the show.