Revu And The Little Said

“And The Little One Said” Poster

Sasha, Henry, Cedric and Rose go and stay with Sasha’s mysterious and perhaps twisted uncle, Earnest, for a summer holiday. Once there, boundaries are pushed, people are forced into action and the dynamic between the four of them changes forever. This is the premise of And The Little One Said. It is a simple premise, but not one without merit if handled correctly. In fact, it could be great. 

The core dynamic is well established: a group of four close friends, in two couples, Sasha and Henry and Cedric and Rose. Henry is far more outgoing and cocky than Cedric who appears strange and wimpish in comparison. This inferiority in masculinity is something that festers within Cedric and is very well handled by Mai Stacey’s writing. This inferiority comes to a head when Cedric watches a questionable interaction between Earnest and Rose, where the former visibly marks the latter uncomfortable. The culmination of this aspect of the plot is immensely satisfying and the final interaction between Cedric and Rose is one of this production’s best moments.

The other major plotline of this production has an obvious answer to who is the guilty suspect, which is a shame, more misdirection could have been implemented or crucially, if the obviousness was the point, then some of the other characters in this production deserved more time dedicated to them.

Cedric is by far the most realised character, followed by Henry. The other characters, especially the female characters, feel much flatter and perhaps even underdeveloped in comparison. There simply is not enough of them to make them stand out, whether that be in the number of lines they have, the time they have on stage or perhaps most importantly in their nuances and subtleties as people. The final twist of this production also feels very flat because of this, which weakens this And The Little One Said in its final moments where it should feel like a Shakespearian in its divine justice. 

There is skill in this writing, but this production does not seem to know where its strengths lie. If iterated upon it could easily be improved. Four friends whose lives could change forever? So much potential there.

Tickets can be found here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/and-the-little-one-said

3/5 Stars

By Ethan H.M.M