Fast London – Reviews

London Theatre 1 ★★★★★

“Fast, Barton’s first play, addresses several familiar issues including the challenges faced by women in the professions and the risks for those who allow themselves to be deceived even when what they are told is flatly contradicted by the evidence of their own eyes. It is a powerful mix but Barton balances the different strands effectively, allowing characters to wind in and out of different scenes to propel the story, smoothly and inexorably, towards its devastating conclusion.

As Hazzard, Caroline Lawrie is superb – part fairytale villain part self-affirming zealot – as she lures client after client with promises of miracles and pseudo-scientific diagnoses. Natasha Cowley and Jordon Stevens are heart-breaking as the Williamson sisters and, the only man in the cast, Daniel Norford is excellent as a journalist with an eye for a story. The slick direction by Kate Valentine creates a real sense of place and time. She – and Barton – are particularly well served by Emily Bestow’s atmospheric set, an ingeniously designed box of tricks which, together with an effective lighting and sound design by Ben Bull and David Chilton, conjures up an Edwardian home, the deck of a steamship and the ominous corridors of Hazzard’s ‘Woodland Heights’ and an ominous bathroom. Even that over familiar bane of modern theatre, projections – so often compensation for a limited budget or an overly complex or ambitious script – are effective and, unusually, a vital part of the storytelling.

The Park champions new writers as well as staging revivals from time to time and in Kate Barton, the writer of Fast, they have once again identified an important new voice. We will surely hear more, much more, from Kate Barton.”

The Upcoming ★★★★

“Overall, this performance is a haunting and horrifying portrayal of Hazzard’s hazardous treatments.

Director Kate Valentine and her expert team guarantee a chilling production, incorporating dark and sombre lighting design by Ben Bull and beautifully claustrophobic set design by Emily Bestow, both of whom use many dark blue and grey colours to increase the sense of dread as the plot progresses towards its inevitable tragedy. Various creepy sound effects by David Chilton add to the general sense of horror, creating a perfectly crafted aesthetic which will remain with the audience for a long time.

The cast, too, are exceedingly powerful. Caroline Lawrie as Hazzard is especially apt, at times appearing as a dominant manipulator and at others as a caring mother-like figure, possibly not far off what one would have expected from her historical counterpart. Natasha Cowley as Dora and Jordan Stevens as Claire are constantly believable and seem perfectly selected as health-aware sisters who would inadvertently sign up for their doom. Daniel Norford as Horace Cayton – who brings Hazzard to justice – also demonstrates prowess as a likeable journalist.

It’s surprising how much Fast resonates even today. Although the history may not be particularly well-known on this side of the pond, contemporary health obsession and almost daily proclamations of the newest miracle diet to solve one’s problems should certainly strike a chord with a modern audience; the play reminds us what the consequences can be when these trends are taken to the extreme.”

The Spy in the Stalls ★★★★

“Kate Valentine has directed Fast in such a way that we feel as though we are sat in Hazzard’s sanatorium and witnessing these shocking events that occurred all those years ago. The acting from everyone involved, visual elements and sound all combine to create a powerful play that is sure to have you gripped from beginning to end.”