People – Etcetera Theatre

Anna Manuelli’s People explores existential questions about the nature, purpose and meaning of life through an intriguing device; the use of doppelgängers. Manuelli plays four characters from different timelines, far removed from one another, who nonetheless share the same face. She uses this premise to demonstrate that the answers a person seeks, and indeed the questions they ask, can vary hugely depending on their context. Is it retribution and revenge that gives life meaning? Is it power? Is it happiness?

The design of People is minimal, with limited use of lighting, sound and blocking. Thus, the show relies on Manuelli’s performance to keep the audience engaged. Luckily, her turn as the four characters is inspired, embodying each individual with unique physicality’s and expressions. Given this ability to imbue physically identical individuals with distinct personalities is crucial to the play, it was vitally important that Manuelli pulled it off. She more than does; truly becoming each of the characters she plays. A mention must also go to the costuming, which nicely signposts the context within which the different characters live.

The script, however, is more of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it was certainly thought-provoking, and I left the venue pondering both the questions Manuelli posed and the themes on which she reflected. Additionally, the script does a wonderful job at delivering exposition. Manuelli drip-feeds the audience information, gradually developing a realised back story for each of the characters and consequently explaining their perspectives on life’s meaning. On the other hand, the continued discussion of these motifs was occasionally over-bearing, bordering on self-indulgent. While the backstories Manuelli provides her characters do at least give the audience something tangible to hold on to, an hour-long monologue with about the meaning of life with a minimalist production is, to put it bluntly, a bit much. This issue is compounded by the colloquial nature of the script. In her efforts to mimic real-life speech patterns, Manuelli repeats phrases over and over, which slows the pace of the performance. Rather than purposeful and brimming with fascinating philosophical questions, segments of the show meander aimlessly around already discussed points and therefore risk losing the audience’s attention.

Overall, People is a thought-provoking show, fronted by a talented performer, that I am glad to have seen. It simply gets a little too carried away in its own ideas to make for a truly compelling watch. 

Reviewer: Ben Pearson

Reviewed: 28th of July 2025

North West End UK Rating: