81 (Life) is an interesting experiment with a lot of heart, lacking in the structure and drive to make it fly.
81 (Life) is part of a set of community plays designed to examine what it means to be a part of Islington’s community. This installation follows a group of Islington residents (played a cast of 60 local participants) as a semi-secret group called ‘The Forum’ develops within their community. With them, we set out to explore the plays central questions of life: How to begin, how to join, how to choose and how to let go. The first two of these come through the story of Anya. After her friend Happy decides that she has become bored of their regular TV Tuesday nights and needs a break, she finds herself suddenly alone. In steps The Forum, magically appearing in her living room and encouraging her to get out and try something. The second two questions are explored through the structure, and aftermath, of a game show, put on by The Forum, entitled The Right Choice. Through these, we are presented with a meandering set of scenes and thoughts on what it is like to live in a community.
The stars of the show are the community members themselves. They are not trained actors and this can occasionally show. But in truth it doesn’t matter much. The heart they bring to the stage is infectious and their sincerity and authenticity is something professional actors cannot really match. The lack of pretense is palpable. There is also the joy that comes out of having 60 people on stage. It creates a striking effect to see that many people together, especially in a number of nicely constructed physical scenes and tableaux. These are set up perfectly by Kate Bunce’s set design which mixes simplicity with enough complexity to allow the many setting of the play to be realised. Likewise, Fraser Craig’s lighting design is strong throughout, especially in the moments of stillness and in creating laughs in the game show section.
The problem comes mostly in the story. Rhianna Ilube’s script has a difficult task of telling a story with so many people. By necessity, the play needs a lot of parts so that everyone has a role to play. But the result is that the play’s structure is a bit of a mess and with a runtime of around two and a half hours, it can struggle to keep your attention. This is also partly because the story we are presented is sweet but a little too safe. Some of the script’s ideas are interesting (a strange community group, their successful and unsuccessful ideas to inspire ‘community’ as they see it, the value of belonging along with the pressures) but they feel a little underdeveloped, and too often the lessons drawn from long sequences of drama are slightly simplistic.
It’s a shame because the authenticity this group of community performers brings is a rarity on the stage. I left feeling I wanted to hear more of their voices. All the same, the show has many touching moments, and feels like it delivers on much of what community theatre should be about: group-oriented, democratic, uplifting. With a bit more finesse, it could have been incredibly moving.
Reviewer: Ralph Jeffreys
Reviewed: 22nd August 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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