Review: What’s Next? Alma Tavern Theatre

Flawless production about the life of Harriet Quimby inspires and entertains

Have you heard of Harriet Quimby? Not everyone has. She’s not on people’s radar as much as Amelia Earhart, which is rather shocking considering the incredible woman that she was.

Middle-Weight Theatre Company rectifies this with What’s Next? It’s a one-person play putting the aviator at the centre of her own story.

You have to love a show that inspires you to go down a post-show Google rabbit hole and this one certainly has you clicking for the history.

Quimby was an incredible woman. She was driven and determined to succeed in fields which interested her but where women were not allowed at the time.

She wrote seven screenplays that were made into Hollywood movies. She forced her way into journalism. And, she became the first American woman to gain a pilot licence.

All three of those achievements around the turn of the 20th century were vast in themselves. But Harriet had even bigger ideas. She was a trailblaizer in aviation. An innovator. She recognised the importance of aviation, dreaming it would grow in both technological advancement as well as opportunities for women. Although she was also ambitious enough to want to be the first to do it.

Not to be put off by the dangers involved and the personal losses she endured, on 16 April 1912, she went on to become the first female pilot to cross the English channel.

If you Google the Louis Blériot single-seat plane in which she made the flight, it makes the achievement even more incredible because that thing looks ropey compared to our modern day equivalents.

The date she made the crossing will seem familiar to many. It’s because her record flight coincided with the sinking of the Titanic, which dominated the news for weeks. In addition to this, some newspaper reports that did cover her successful flight attempted to sabotage and minimise her achievement simply because she was a woman.

Sadly, Harriet died a few months later on 01 July 1912 aged 37 after the plane she was flying crashed.

But how do you begin to put such an incredible story on stage? Enter Middle-Weight Theatre Company with What’s Next?

It’s an inspiring piece of theatre which perfectly balances the factual history against personal story and really brings alive what Harriet’s dreams for the future would have been.

Whilst it highlights the inequalities women faced in the early 1900s, it also makes you think about how those same things are still skewed for women in 2024. There are still too many barriers in place blocking access to women into careers that Harriet excelled.

Matt Roberts’ writing of the true story keeps you hooked throughout. It’s thoughtful and genuine. Harriet as a person sparkles through the monologue. She’s genuine and real, her personality brought to life. Roberts also brings real dignity and poignancy to the conflicting events of Harriet’s success against the Titanic sinking.

Tom Stabb knows when to pull the focus on this, using direction and lighting to create a really beautiful moment.

Victoria Lucie is Harriet Quimby and she is wonderful. Bringing in high quality and experienced actors such as Lucie, elevates fringe productions so you end up with a flawless production as can be seen in What’s Next?

The attention to detail of Harriet’s flight suit by costume designer and creator Hannah Marshall is superb. It’s accurate whilst sporting some lovely theatrical flair.

The set design by Chrissy Marshall and Lez Street is clever with its stylish simplicity focused around a single steering column. Video projection by Tom Stabb simulates flying through the cloudy sky.

The play has a sudden and poignant end. It’s brilliantly staged, mirroring Quimby’s life without feeling exploitative yet giving the audience the necessary drama around the ending required.

What’s Next? is at the Alma Tavern Theatre until Friday 19 April 2024

For more information or to book: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/almatheatrecompany/1072043?

For more about Middle-Weight Theatre Company: https://www.middleweighttheatre.com/

Featured Image: Middle-Weight Theatre Company

Cast and Creatives
Harriet Quimby – Victoria Lucie
Writer – Matt Roberts
Director – Tom Stabb
Costume Design and Construction – Hannah Marshall
Set Design and Construction – Chrissy Marshall and Lez Street
Lighting, Sound and Graphics – Tom Stabb

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