Review: The Strangelmans

The Strangelmans played at Wanstead Fringe 2024. Reviewer Camille Leadbeater gives her verdict.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that entering The Bull on Monday evening felt like heading into The Next Big Thing. Filled with a hip and happening crowd, a cooly poised demographic adorning the pub, waiting to see The Strangelmans – the latest theatrical production by Day Job Theatre. Suffice to say, it must have been a pretty trendy event to have brought the ‘in crowd’ to Wanstead.

Those who have been to The Bull will know – it’s spacious. The upper floors tend to get hired out for parties/weddings and are pretty versatile venues – made even more apparent by the effortless way the rooms now double as theatres. These are, arguably, the best type of Fringe venues.

As we entered, we were greeted by a decidedly funky hip-hop playlist, and seated on a choice of comfy Chesterfield sofas (thank you Bull designer team), or could opt for traditional wooden chairs. Our protagonist, Phil Sinnow played by Andrew Atha sits at his desk on stage working on his cartoon creation The Strangelmans. The set is designed to resemble Phil’s messy living room, as you’d expect of a 22 year old bachelor – strewn with cushions, unopened post and other piles of paper. Although relatively simple, comprising of the desk, a sofa and, well, that’s pretty much it, that was all that was needed for this versatile and captivating cast to transport us from Phil’s living room, to the boardroom, a family home, a cinema premiere, and even the back of a taxi. Here is a youthful cast with enough energy, vigour and enthusiasm to enliven any space.

The plot revolves around Phil and his comic creation The Strangelman’s. Think The Simpsons or Family Guy, this is a reiteration of a family whose everyday trials and tribulations are exposed and exaggerated for our entertainment. The issue is, however, Phil’s real family aren’t too pleased with the all too apparent similarities between themselves and the characters in Phil’s comic creation.

Throughout the show, we wonder if its their own narcissism and paranoia, or if Phil really is using them as his ‘muses’. Whatever the case, as Phil becomes all the more successful, his characters gain popularity and begin to permeate deeper into the psyche of the lives of his real family.

With superb comic timing, the cast bounce off each other, their relationships so cleverly realised that we cannot blame Phil if he is indeed using them as inspiration. Here is a wealth of material for a comedy series about a typically dysfunctional modern family.

Michael Stafford Wells is excellent as Phil’s older brother Steven, tragically clumsy and bumbling, yet at the same time loveable and gentle. His disturbance at the likeness between himself and the elder brother in Phil’s Strangelmans, makes him understandably suspicious of Phil, feeling mocked and personally attacked. At one point he takes to quizzing Phil “what am I describing, real life or the cartoon?” His concern, however, soon escalates into anger, resulting in him throwing Strangelman’s merch out a window and handcuffing Phil to a radiator.

Alexandra Scott too is fantastic in the role of Phil’s sister Triss. Indeed, a scarily realistic family dynamic permeates this entire performance. Triss is presented as a highly strung woman in business, determined to profit off Phil’s creation – urging him for product placement in his cartoons. This is, of course, endlessly mimicked through the elder sister in The Strangelmans, who is a ‘right-wing’ stereotype of crowing corporate capitalism. There is a feeling of pity generated, however, as Triss struggles to navigate growing ridicule and online trolling as a result of Phil’s portrayal of the Strangelmans sister.

The only character in Phil’s creation who seems to come off lightly is the older brother’s girlfriend – who just so happens to resemble Steven’s real life girlfriend, Jasmine. Played by Jasmine McHayle, she is an environmental lawyer – Phil’s character is a civil defender. Jasmine argues to have the greatest claim for defamation through Phil’s portrayals – having actually posed for his inspiration. It all becomes quite complex, resulting in legal action, which further puts a strain on family relationships.

In the end, as things get messier, we even feel a little sorry for Phil. A rather brooding character and the most serious member of the troupe, ‘if he’s happy, he’s upset he doesn’t get to be upset’, he still provides some brilliant comedy. Andrew is great taking on this ‘observer’ role, criticising and characterising his family. Yet, he himself is hardly immune to the chaos and absurdity of everyday domestics.

Indeed, the other characters pick up on his apparent affection for his elder brother’s girlfriend, his anger at ‘dad’ for missing family events due to his illness., his bullying at the hands of his elder siblings who ‘held him upside down’ and ‘rammed his head into the fridge’.The acting here from all members of the cast, really is sublime. We feel for Phil’s family, yet simultaneously worry that their issues are more a reflection of their own inadequacies, measured up against Phil’s burgeoning success. This is in many ways, a typically abnormal family that has been thrown into the limelight and left to pick up the pieces of Phil’s ‘hatchet job’ exposé. The ending, which transforms into an episode of The Strangelman’s, shows just how inextricable family dramas can be from reality, reminding us of the sheer hilarity of contemporary family life.

Pure pathos, It is warming, yet sadly all too real. On the whole, although only an hour’s run time, this is a compelling and richly woven story with great potential for further development. It certainly felt like something I could binge watch whilst cosying up in one of The Bull’s Chesterton sofas.

Congratulations to cast and crew for a stellar show.