Review: Three Kings at Alma Tavern & Theatre
Funnily enough, the last time I was at Alma Tavern & Theatre, I was also doing a review for a one-man show. I was enchanted by the hidden-gem of a venue, and even more so by the performance itself. This time is much like before, but only more so.
I was excited to receive the invitation to this event from the get-go. Written by the BAFTA-award winning screenwriter of Pride, Stephen Beresdord; starring Fringe Festival alumni Steve Cowley, and brought to the stage by Madam Renards, a production company that delivers issue-based performance in theatres around the country… It just all sounded good.
It therefore makes sense - given the backdrop of the play - that this show is what it is: achingly human, and rich with all the complexities that being alive brings.
The premise of this play is simple. It starts with an eight-year-old Patrick meeting his estranged and unfeeling Father in a pub, being taught a bar game. From this point onwards, Patrick navigates various moments with his Father from their strained relationship, meandering from optimistic if anxious beginnings, to resentful endings where love is given reluctantly, if not still deeply.
For me, Beresford’s writing was the star of the show. It is relatable, funny, and still managed to pack a punch. It roams over the well-travelled territory of Daddy Issues, but still does so with a fresh and interesting eye.
That isn’t to say that the script isn’t brought alive by the acting though. It truly is. Steve Cowley does a fantastic job. There is a sparse but brilliant use of props and sound as he genuinely transports you from moment to moment, location to location; one minute you are eight years old, desperate to impress your incomprehensible Dad in a pub, the next you are older and far more disillusioned in Spain, watching a football match next to some octopus rings and an ex-pat. Cowley is a master of voice; he flits from character to character, shouldering the weight of a one-man play effortlessly and engagingly. Of course, Director, Heather Davies, also deserves praise for this too!
I also would be amiss not to praise the venue itself. It is the time of place that, one day, will be discovered on TikTok and you will struggle to wade your way through to the bar. You could have a Guinness in the cosy, fairy-light strewn Alma Tavern and never even realise that you are sitting right next to the small theatre from which we watched the play - but you are, and that is the beauty of it. You can even hear the occasional humdrum of the pub through the walls as you watch the performance. For some people, it may be a distraction. For me, it only added. The intimacy of the performance is so unique. The capacity is limited, the actor genuinely looks you in the eye at the end of the show with a nervous “hope you liked it” - and we even saw Cowley nip into the neighbouring bar at the end to receive a celebratory hug.
This play was a moving and stark study of the relationship between dads and sons, but it still got you laughing. As Patrick learns when confronted with the seemingly impossible Three Kings bar game, sometimes in life there are some things that simply cannot move. Just like that coin, Patrick and his Dad are stuck, and, so forth, Patrick continues to be stuck. Doomed to walk similar footsteps as his Dad, and, at the end, left praying to learn the real trick - to move past the exaggeration and disappointment, and instead towards genuine love and care.
Above all, this reminded me of the need for evenings like this. I will throw my hands up and admit, it has been a while since I watched a small theatre performance like this. Who knows why? Work happens; you get home tired and the TV is there. As boring as it sounds, it can feel true. This reminded me of the joy of creativity much like this; how moving good writing can be, how impressive the charisma of actors can be, and the beauty of a Bristol hidden gem.
Written by Jessica Blackwell
I’m Jess, the founder of The Everyday Magazine. I work as a Studio Manager for a Boudoir Photography studio and, as a general rule, I like to write about things that would be awkward to discuss with the family.
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