“They build you up so they can tear you down,” so Spice Girl Melanie C once sang in her song ‘Northern Star’. The Publicist, directed by Zara Jayant and Emily Ritchie, respectively Digital Press Manager and Press Manager at the National Theatre (at the time of writing), no less – even has lines in the script about authentic, lived experiences. That said, for the record: this play is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the playwright’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
I don’t think I’ve ever come across someone – in this case a character known only as The Publicist (Julia Pilkington) – literally and figuratively tear their hair out on stage as befits the circumstances they find themselves in. How she gets there is largely (but not entirely) her own doing, and despite a strong resolve to dig herself, her client and her employer out of the hole, it seems there are too many odds stacked against her. The play ends abruptly, on a cliffhanger, leaving the audience wondering what happens afterwards – there’s definitely scope for a sequel. And as I have often said, leaving the audience wanting more is far better than a show that drags on for too long.
Marcus (Joe Flynn) is a working-class writer who would rather not do a national television interview – if his first book is to be made into a motion picture, can’t they interview the lead actors instead? The ‘personal’ and the ‘professional’ start to mix, with somewhat predictable consequences. There are plenty of characters besides the named ones, including commercial radio show hosts and social media influencers, the latter seemingly just as capable of convoluted vocabulary as parliamentarians. Here, their sayings are used for comic effect, and the cast clearly relish bringing these rather vacuous and self-important people to life. Resistance is futile, and my initial headshaking and eyerolls quickly gave way to ‘live, laugh, love’.
The difficulties with keeping embargoed information from the public domain in the digital era are made plain, and it doesn’t help that Marcus apparently told another budding writer, Natasha (Georgina Collins) some details. Dramatic tension is very strong in this tight production that never has a dull moment, but it never felt to me to have descended to the kind of storyline one might find in a soap opera. For instance, television show host Olivia (Julia-Hetta Johnson), has quite legitimate and reasonable pushbacks and replies to The Publicist. It all boils down to ‘honesty is the best policy’, and the fallout that results from a breach of that policy makes for a dark but nonetheless entertaining hour at The Camden Fringe.
Review by Chris Omaweng
The Publicist is an expert in the graft of securing press interviews. When her client, successful author Marcus Phillip’s debut novel is set to become a major film, The Publicist must lead him out of the shadows and into the spotlight. By orchestrating the perfect interview – a career-defining moment for them both – can she succeed in cementing his legacy and salvaging her own?
The Publicist – Julia Pilkington
Marcus / Ensemble – Joe Flynn
Olivia / Ensemble – Julia-Hetta Johnson
Natasha / Ensemble – Georgina Collins
Written by Zara Jayant
Directed by Zara Jayant and Emily Ritchie
Halfway Productions presents
THE PUBLICIST
The Libra Theatre Café, 8 to 10 August 2025
Presented as part of The Camden Fringe
