Set at an Open Mic night, A Different Song gives us three very different people and the trials of performing and putting on a show. Alternating between the backstage discussions and the on stage open mic sections where the audience becomes part of the show, they give us very different facets: the public versus the private personas. The interesting part is that in just an hour, we really get under the skin of these people, finding out all about them, through both the writing and the portrayal of them, ending up hugely invested in the outcome for all three.
Chrissie, played by Helen Rogers, is the compere of the Open Mic Night having just taken over from the previous host. Her Polyanna bubbliness and penchant for putting her foot in it and saying absolutely the wrong thing is cringingly hilarious. Her energy drives the whole show, even when the other two are performing she stands in the audience literally bouncing. She links the on stage and backstage and revs up the audience with chat and songs with almost a 1980s TV show host pazazz. There are some lovely details in her performance: her facial expressions after one of the songs in particular is a true belly laugh moment. She also has some reflective moments which give her depth: we see her loneliness through her façade.
The two open mic regular performers are Kate played by Sally Best and Mitch played by Andy Hutchison. These two characters have been doing these Open Mic nights for years and have fallen into a bored and boring habit. Again we see two fully rounded characters: Kate who is struggling with where life has taken her at this moment in time, navigating the tricky waters of an estranged husband and a critical daughter who prioritises her own life rather than be involved in her mother’s. It’s refreshing to see one of society’s forgotten ‘average’ women portrayed on stage, a 40 plus woman who feels alone and undervalued and underappreciated, and it’s good to see a play set in real life has included this. Andy performing songs as Mitch while playing his guitar is an absolute joy to hear: his playing is light and the songs are packed with emotion. His portrayal of the very sad Mitch is really lovely and never dips into self-indulgence, and is the antithesis of Chrissie and her energy. The areas for the backstage section are however quite far away from the audience, it would have been better to bring them forward a little as not much stage is needed for the open mic sections which are lit differently with moving coloured lights, so perhaps the change in areas could have just been with lighting rather than physical placement.
Liz Tait’s writing is real and fresh and grounded, acutely observed and relatable. Kate’s desperate and beautiful line that’s she’s “knitting for no-one just to stop my hands from pouring another glass of wine” speaks to exactly where she is in her life which so many women can relate to. In an atypical moment of sympathy for Mitch over a recent loss, Chrissie tells him to “listen to the music of her” which is a gorgeous line, pivoted a second later with something she shouldn’t say which then makes everyone laugh. This has just the right proportion of laughs and deeper life moments, and though arguably not much happens in the play, they have more understanding, compassion and connection with each other at the end, which is a heartwarming journey.
Charles Dickens Pub, Worthing, 22 June 2024 – featuring all three performers from Brighton
Photos credit: Liz Tait Productions
