Paradise Now! – Bush Theatre

Paradise Now! reflects the growing empowerment of women in our society, showing both unity and darker, more toxic aspects. The play begins in Gabriel and her sister’s living room, showing a stark contrast between Gabriel’s depression induced exhaustion and Baby’s post work fatigue.

When Gabriel meets Alex who sells essential oils for a company called Paradise, her life is given a new sense of purpose. The two go on to recruit more members of the team, we meet Rose and Laurie. All driven by money and success, they repeat the same spiel about connecting to your inner goddess to drive sales. Some climb up the ladder and others struggle, as they eventually reveal hidden truths about themselves in an intense team building workshop.

Shazia Nicholl plays Alex, the forcefully ambitious leader of the group who is rather patronising to the other women until their status rises above hers, throwing her into panic and despair. Nicholl conveys Alex’s competitiveness brilliantly with sneaky side eyes and dark looks hidden by a smiling pretence with a comedic style reminiscent of Catherine Tate. Carmel Winters plays Baby, the supportive sister whose realistic attitude and steady temperament feels incongruous to the other characters. Rakhee Thakrar’s character Laurie confused me because she seemed so desperate, unstable and oblivious at some moments but then confident and quite interrogative at others. Nevertheless, Thakrar gave an emotive performance and had a strangely likeable quality as Laurie.

Ayoola Smart is a convincing wannabe influencer as Carla, with a focused and eager attitude hiding a ruthless nature. Annabel Baldwin plays Anthie, Carla’s girlfriend who provides a refreshing groundedness to the groups’s dynamic. Anthie is a professional dancer, an alien to the Paradise world. Baldwin’s character has fewer lines but their expressions and reactivity in the scenes was meticulous and gave a truthfulness to Anthie. Michele Moran’s performance as Gabriel was fantastic as we watch her transform into a more confident, self-assured person, her eyes keep the same intensity and shyness that we see at the beginning.

Rosie Elnile’s stage design is practical and adaptable, allowing imaginative transitions directed by Jazz Woodcock-Stewart. Margaret Perry’s script was full of current topics that gelled together excellently. There were a few moments of contrived dialogue, but the themes of the play provided a strong focus. The essential oils seem to symbolise the booming health and wellness and holistic industry that is flooding social media. Like Carla’s character, it poses the question as to whether the influencer’s beauty sells more than the actual product or is that just a toxic downplaying her success? Perry highlights the marketability of pain and trauma to seem relatable and the difference of the actual reality of suffering, and how that cannot always be used as a selling point.

The beauty of this play is in watching an unlikely group come together and form bonds and in how it acutely reflects the multi-faceted era of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship.

Playing until 21st January 2023, https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/

Reviewer: Riana Howarth

Reviewed: 13th December 2022

North West End UK Rating: ★★★