Famous Lost Birds – The Annexe at Paradise in The Vault

This is a new play written by Daniel Grady and Maisy Nichols and produced by Land of Nod.   The advertising blurb is pretty intimidating as far as the description of the narrative is concerned.  It involves a down-on-his-luck impressionist, a blind dying mother, glam rock gods, street heroin, misguided mobsters … hang on a minute, this reviewer just has to have a wee lie down … nope, no time … onstage it gets even more complex … some Northern stand-up, a long lost brother, cosmetic surgery, deep maternal regret … no really … this reviewer has to have a moment … no, no, no, there’s no time …

There’s a lot of energy being thrown at the audience in this play and undoubtedly, it’s the energy of raw talent, belief and commitment.  There’s some funny original stuff in here, for certain but it’s often difficult for the audience to appreciate it as it’s sometimes lost in an overly complex, at times incoherent narrative.

This may be one of these pieces of work which, if it was allowed to rest and breathe awhile and had several pairs of eyes on it before it hit the fringe stage, could’ve been a rapid-fire laugh a minute.  Instead, it did feel as if the audience had stumbled into a work in progress.

It’d be an exciting thing to see this play evolving into one of light and shade, of noise and silence, for its structure affords this opportunity.  Merging farce with pathos isn’t easy but I reckon that this play could do just that, given half a chance.

The central character is undoubtedly dynamic but dominant to the point of pushing the other cast members aside, which is a shame as there are some interesting performances lurking on the sidelines.  The blind dying mother character is particularly effective and some of the biggest laughs came from the deliveries in the lowest key.

That’s the thing about the fringe, the audiences are discerning and appreciate subtlety.  There’s no need to be frenetic.  Even though most venues only afford one hour in-out slots, it’s still possible to pace a play in a way which lets the audience laugh, ponder, catch its breath and do it all over again.

Reviewer: Susan Cohen

Reviewed: 24^th August 2025

North West End UK Rating: