Bitch Boxer

For those who might not know it, Arcola theatre is a fantastic little fringe venue right in the heart of Dalston, I love the fact they’ve got me on their mailing list and that each time I get invited to a press night I know that for better or worse I’m going to see something completely different.

Bitch Boxer certainly did not disappoint, the show is a one hour monologue written by Charlie Josephine

Performed by Jodie Campbell

Directed by Prime Isaac

The story centres around Chloe Jackson a young female boxer in training for the 2012 Olympics (The first time that women were allowed to compete in the sport at an Olympic level)

From a comedic opening sequence the show very quickly turns serious as Chloe has to deal with the unexpected death of her father who was also her mentor and boxing coach.

As Chloe struggles to process her grief this has a knock on effect on both her training and her relationship with Jamie; her first serious girlfriend, can Chloe over come the odds and keep fighting?

Solo shows can be tricky for even the most seasoned performers, but I have to say Jodie Campbell was fantastic, she didn’t miss a beat and sold us Chloe from the instant she stepped on stage, in a performance that came across as heartfelt and authentic.

I would also like to give credit to movement director Mateus Daniel, because one thing I kept coming back to was not just how well, Campbell delivered the lines but also how well choreographed this piece was, and I don’t just mean the fight sequences which did look good (Although I know absolutely sweet FA about boxing!) But also the smaller details, such as body language, or miming actions such as being sick or climbing out of a window which really count when bringing to life a solo performance.

Also hats off to Jessie Addinall’s lighting set up which really came into its own in helping to set the mood and create the scene changes on an empty set.

I do have one gripe however, but I promise you it’s a small one: To designer Hazel Low, the punch bag made of shirts why? It had no relevance to anything in the script, and just looked ugly and amateurish, if you’ve got enough eye for detail to make the ropes of the boxing ring pink and enough budget for Nike trainers for god’s sake get on ebay and find your star a decent punch bag! (ok rant over!)

Minor details aside though ‘Bitch boxer’ is a tour de force, fierce, fast paced and funny it’ll hook you in from the first punch and hold your attention until the final bell.

Catch it at Arcola theatre until March 14th

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