The Winston Machine – Unity Theatre

Brought to us by the critically acclaimed Kandinsky, we see a fusion of worlds decades different, but with mirrored tensions of grief, purpose and place. An awesome use of effects and controlled dialogue led to a crisp performance that I would watch again.

The teamwork on stage was apparent and which led to an impressive and at times funny mode of storytelling. Unfortunately, I am unable to identify who exactly played on stage, but each performance lent itself to the quality of the work, with detail and precision used in each moment. The conviction and presence of the players was palpable. Their use of singing, swift accent changes and physical movement were again impressive. Together with an emotive soundtrack with modern flavours meant the audience were fully immersed in the performance, and even though there were traditional contexts, the handling of this story felt new and fresh.

You don’t need to have an extensive knowledge of the Blitz to understand the importance of this story. Using impersonations, an old radio and paper airplanes, this play has something for everyone.

Even as a one-act performance, it was punchy and packed enough as any full-length piece. The audience and I felt like we didn’t want it to end, but I guess that’s the whole point, when we don’t know what should happen next.

As a UK tour, it is only on at Unity until March 29^th, but afterwards it moves to Enfield at the Dugdale Arts Centre from 31^st March – 1^st April.

Reviewer: Hannah Esnouf

Reviewed: 28^th March 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★