Jake Mace
Skip is adamant that nobody throws house parties any more – and she’s on a mission to change that. In the crosshairs of Chakira Alin’s EdFringe debut solo show – gentrification, the housing crisis, elitism, and the eroding joy of nightlife. House Party is a sharp, prescient storytelling show full of well-executed humour that spears modern London life for working class people. Alin’s one-woman performance as Skip and a menagerie of characters from all ends of the class room spectrum is triumphant and nuanced.
You might have heard the story of an out-of-work actor stuck at their parents house and on the dole before – and Alin’s script wilfully mentions the history of down-and-out struggling artists early on. Where the writing elevates the story, however, is in how we see Skip interact with a gentrifying East End of London, deconstructing stereotypes, flirting with hipsters in nice bars in Hackney and meeting eccentric characters like Summertime, an elderly man who once ran the local cab office but now finds himself on the streets.
All of this is done with a light touch, and a focus on the issues impacting the core issue – why does nobody have a house to party in anymore? Alin’s philosophy is to show the house party as the informal meeting place – for friendships to emerge, love to blossom, and as a place to dance and let loose without having to worry about the judging eyes of strangers in a nightclub. It’s a unique take on a well-hashed out issue, done with a significant sense of style and purpose.
Skip concocts a hare-brained scheme to take back her childhood home in Hackney from the gentrifying forces of over-groomed estate agents, wealthy homeowners from Surrey, and weird skinny dogs that every gentrifier seems to own. We soon learn a subtly-revealed backstory for Skip, a childhood of housing precarity, and this unlocks unexpected depth. This is all interweaved with moments of joyful dancing, and whip-smart humour diving into every element of the British Pop Culture scene – creating a lively snapshot of what it means to be a young person facing adult life in the UK today.
Alin’s performance as Skip is greatly fleshed out. As she comes to embody other characters in the play – her Mum and her talent Agent, amongst them – it does feel a little as though we do lose some definition as she flips between these characters it isn’t totally clear from vocal tone and characterisation as to who they are as personalities. However, the well-defined character of her Job Coach Debbie makes up for much of this, and a tender, poignant conversation between her and Skip marks a shift in a very neat and refined story arc.
Towards the end the piece dissolves into moments of fourth-wall breaking and audience interaction which reminds us that the house party is a space for all and every one of us – very nicely achieved with a light touch. The show does bill itself as ‘genre-defying’ which I wouldn’t say was especially true – the show rings through mostly in traditional solo storytelling style, but with breaks that are welcome, inserted neatly, and feel natural in Skip’s kooky yet justified worldview.
Thematically all-encompassing, well-performed and brilliantly impactful – you shouldn’t refuse an invite to Skip’s magnificent and revolutionary House Party.
Recommended Drink: There’s only one for this – a Supermalt – and I’ll let you go along so Skip can explain.
You can catch House Party until August 25th (not the 12th or 21st) at Attic at Pleasance Courtyard from 15:20 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
