Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Robert Hadden, Joshua Quigley, Craig McDonald.
When praise is duly served, when the press rave about you and proclaim you to be the next best thing, the only way to deal with life from there is realise that the dream is over; you have failed in the objective which was to change the world.
For Rob, Quigley and Craig, the last five years has been one of slowly finding that unique sound, the note in the noteworthy, the distinctive way of music that sets them apart from every other band on the planet, a true one off. They have the talent, they have the attitude, they even have the looks, yet one cursory look at a review page sets off a series of events in which deep discussions are had and irretrievable decisions are made.
L.I.P.A.’s Jack West play Three, Two, F*ck. touches upon a much undeveloped thought in culture that that there are truly no new ideas, that the artist is a slave to being considered the next big thing, or worse, the replacement for the next big thing. The industrial machine takes you in, chews you up and spits out the remains in a few years’ time; yes you will have the success, yes you get to live beyond your wildest dreams but ultimately you will be forgotten…unless you can find a way to be remembered for ever.
Of a certain age group more people remember Elvis Presley for the way he died than for the fact he was one of the first true stars of post war American music, more people remember Kurt Cobain for the manner of his passing than probably bought Nirvana’s first album. To be remembered, the suggestion is go out before they get a chance to forget you, before you become that band that was replaced by the next big thing.
For a play that delves into some incredibly serious and sombre territory, Three, Two, F*ck is a play of distinction that should be congratulated for its honest portrayal of the seemingly young and almost successful, the danger of attaining your dream only to see it warped out of perspective. Like Icarus flying too close to the sun and seeing his wings melt as he plummets to his doom, he probably regretted not investing in a few optional extras to make the short journey that more enjoyable and profound.
The three actors, also from L.I.P.A. catch every available mood supplied by Jack West’s very perceptive writing, from pathos to the black humour that wouldn’t have been out of place in programmes such as M*A*S*H, from the realisation that art to some is folly and to the only way to possibly take control of what really happens to your legacy, superbly well.
A play in which darkness prevails but it is guided by a genuine light, an honour to have watched it.
Three, Two, F*ck is on at the Unity Theatre on Saturday 26th July before it goes to the Edinburgh Fringe during August 2014.
Ian D. Hall