I put off watching this odd series on BBC One starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant. Or is it David Tennant and Michael Sheen? Hehe. I had not noticed their chemistry in the two episodes of Good Omens I started watching. I had lots of friends recommend Good Omens but the humour just didn’t strike a chord with me. However, after watching Staged I’m really willing to give it another go.
Michael and David just have a wonderful friendship. The first series sees the two of them trying to rehearse for a play during the uncertainty of the first lockdown in 2020. I wasn’t ready to watch it back then. I was too devastated from the cancellation of a play I was about to perform in at the time. I had just had my costume picked out by the wardrobe mistresses, I finally had all my lines down and it was a small part but the cast were a delightful group of mature women whom I had grown really fond of. I was in awe of these wonderful human beings who had been in theatre for almost 50 years or so. Just before we were cancelled they had prepared a gift for the director showing old photos of all their performances. It was beautiful. We were only amateurs but theatre creates this sense of belonging, respect and love like no other between people.
So at the time, I wasn’t in the mood to watch two professional actors whine about their play over what looked like a zoom session. It was a bit too real, I was doing that with my own friends. I didn’t need the telly, my source of pure escapism to be mirroring my own life in quite such a realistic way. Months later, we’ve adjusted and watched almost everything else on Netflix and all. I’d heard about the second season of Staged starting and friends were raving about it again.
We had a bit of time to spare before going to bed one evening and my husband and I switched it on. It’s only 15 minutes long and we thought, why not? Well. It was just really funny. The pair bickered back and forth and complained endlessly about their respective situations. Both with their wives and children and unable to perform professionally. Sometimes the pace was quick and witty and sometimes it was long and drawn out, reflecting our own situation. Lockdown sometimes seems endless, especially right now. Those hours spent looking out the window, observing the quietness of the world outside whilst dealing with the chaos of family life inside. It’s utterly devastating some days.
Yet these two individuals make the time to try and work towards their project but also occasionally asking each other very poignant questions, personal ones and sometimes just very silly ones. They argue, they shout, they laugh and sometimes, it looks like they will almost cry. It becomes a symbiotic relationship. They soon begin to look forward to seeing each other. And in the end it becomes the bromance that reminds you that as people, we need each other and friendship and love are what makes us so human. Despite the circumstances their connection is unbreakable. And their descent into madness is just funny and relatable.
The second series follows the pair talking about the first series as though it had all been, well, staged! I love it! This sort of meta play within a play concept was wonderful. Not to mention all the cameos! My favourites have to be Judy Dench and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The first series had been a success. The teleplay of them rehearsing for a play via video conferencing becomes a series sold to the Americans for a version of their own. We’ve seen this all happen before, but behind the scenes they give away what might be a few industry secrets. And the wives of these two actors are an utter delight! I find myself wanting to know everything about Georgia Tennant now.
What I love is how actors, professional or amateur like myself are all the same. Bruised egos, lost opportunities, bitterness between rivals- it’s all there. At the end of both series I am reminded why I love the theatre just so much. For me though, it’s not my livelihood but a hobby on the side of my day job. For these professionals, during lockdown to be stuck in situations beyond their control, that even money can’t resolve, well, it’s pretty devastating.
In the early days of lockdown my heart broke with the idea that it could be years before we could perform again. And I also fretted that television and film would suffer so much we would have very little content. Yes that’s happened, but Staged somehow gives a little light at the end of the tunnel. They succeeded despite all obstacles to create a work of art that reminds us exactly whats important right now – human connections.
It didn’t take long to finish watching the series but it left me wanting more. We’ve put Good Omens back on our watch list. We’ve also been enjoying as a family, watching the entire Marvel Universe films, and now we look forward to watching the new Disney series, Wandavision. We watched Wonder Woman 1984 last night. I desperately wanted to enjoy but it was one of the most ridiculous fantastical movies I’ve seen in a long time. I just don’t think it was for audiences like us, mature and less wide eyed and innocent? Perhaps for young girls. The 8 year old fan inside me loved it though. Just for the simple love of a character who defined female strength and integrity. Meh, you can’t take the fangirl out of this critic entirely!
Jessie Square-Eyes 