One Hundred Percent, the latest production from Precarious Theatre, is an intriguing piece.
In a claustrophobic studio apartment, an embittered failed actor confronts the examiner who once gave him a perfect score in an acting examination. This act propelled the actor to convince himself that a glittering theatrical career beckoned. However, far from a glorious procession of success culminating in a position on Graham Norton’s sofa on prime time TV as a National Treasure, the hard reality of a jobbing actor’s life, (local pantomime high street leafletting and a bit part as second axeman in The London Dungeon), leads to an intense disappointment and disillusionment that threatens to become something much darker following a chance meeting with the adjudicator whose judgement of his potential started it all.
The rather confined, enclosed space afforded by Baron’s Court Theatre is perfect for staging this intimate, disturbing play. The audience is close enough to look into the whites of the actors’ eyes, and, at one stage, the examiner even takes a seat in the front row.
The audience is immersed in the show from their arrival in the theatre, where the actors are already seated opposite each other, ably maintaining a frozen position, locked in an apparent interview scenario.
Throughout the first half of this short play (just over 50 minutes running time), the actors work extremely well together to develop a growing sense of unease and psychological discomfort.
Ben Sumrie, as the unnamed actor, is just a little too nice, his eyes hold the gaze of the examiner just that little bit too long, and his protestations that some of the curious phraseology he uses is “…just joking” help to build tension and a palpable sense of foreboding. Sumrie accurately portrays a narcissistic neediness that is always on the edge of toppling over into obsession and destructiveness.
Francesca Maria Izzo, appearing this particular evening as the theatrical examiner (this role is shared throughout the run with David Allen), is superb as an initially wary, then unnerved theatrical adjudicator who finds herself in a situation of escalating fear and alarm. There is a subtlety about her responses to The Actor’s oddness and growing intimidation, which is striking. One particular moment where she surreptitiously moves her chair a little way away from the actor’s chair whilst he is busy making tea is especially powerful.
The second part of the play, where we see a replay of parts of the original audition pieces that earned the actor his original 100% rating, provides the platform on which the pendulum of power swings. In recreating his initial performance pieces, the actor reverts back to his need for feedback and affirmation, and places power back into the hands of the examiner, who challenges the very notions of her antagonist’s belief systems and value as an actor, eventually possessing the self-confidence to declaim starkly and boldly that “You need a reality check…It is never going to happen.”
There is much to admire in this production, but there are also limitations. Those who are involved in the theatrical profession will recognise many of the tropes and allusions and will be at a distinct advantage in understanding some details of the narrative.
The second audition piece delivered is overlong and will not be immediately recognisable to those who are not immersed in the theatre. The first audition piece works well (it is Hamlet after all), and thereby provides an easily recognisable platform for the examiner’s judicial critique. This can not be said for the second item, which doesn’t give as clear a basis for the adjudicator’s observations.
The denouement was not a surprise, with the end feeling a bit rushed and weak. This was in contrast to the care and attention given in the first half of the play to the creation of a nuanced and powerful sense of disquietude, with more than a nod to the psychological structuralism underpinning the seminal film Theatre of Blood, but with frustrated ambition replacing humiliation as a potential source of terror.
One Hundred Percent has good ideas and provides some memorable moments, but it requires a little more tightness, especially in the second half, to reach its full potential.
At the moment, it still feels a little like a work in progress rather than the finished article.
Review by Johnny Oxford
In a claustrophobic studio apartment, an embittered failed actor confronts the examiner who once gave him a perfect score in an acting exam – a moment which, the actor believes, destined him for greatness. As tea turns to tension, years of suppressed rage unravel in an unsettling psychological showdown that spirals into obsession, shattered dreams, and a desperate bid for catharsis. Both must now face the devastating consequences of misplaced hope, harsh truths, and lives derailed by ambition in this darkly comedic exploration of artistry, identity, and the human need for validation.
Cast: Benjamin Sumrie, David Allen, Francesca Maria Izzo
Liam Grogan – Director / Writer / Producer
Benjamin Sumrie – Producer / Writer
Marco Biasioli – Writer
David Allen – Assistant Director
Francesca Maria Izzo – Assistant Director
ONE HUNDRED PERCENT
Barons Court Theatre
17 to 21 June 2025
