Butter Side Up Theatre Company’s Thestival 2025 – 12 April 2025, Lantern Theatre, Sheffield
Review by Maisie Ellis.
Night 2 of Butter Side Up’s Thestival 2025 was fantastic! Having never attended one of their performances before, I was pleased to find out that the aptly titled Stage Presence is a rapid-fire showcase of the company’s talents. Split into three sections, the audience were treated first to gripping solo performances, then dynamic duos, and the night concluded with a range of group acts.
Stage Presence was a powerful celebration of performance. I was captivated by the dramatic monologues, many of which demonstrate the cast’s ability to take on multiple different accents and seamlessly morph into distinct characters. Christy Fitzsimons’ ability to replicate accents stood out – one minute he was Tommy Shelby carrying out dodgy dealings in Birmingham and the next he had the audience howling with laughter as The Farmer from The Mitchell and Webb Situation. The actors projected their voices to fill the theatre and connect with every audience member. Sprinkled amongst the drama were familiar toe-tapping numbers from your favourite musicals including Waitress, Rent and Annie. Heather Richmond and Amy Longbottom had particularly impressive vocals and shone in their roles.
We also got to see the company’s writing talents: “Ed and Kate” is an original sketch written by the production’s executive producer, Michael Hudson, about a couple’s complex relationship struggles. The sketch is elevated with the creative incorporation of lyrics from Kate Nash’s Foundations. An original song titled “Cabin in the Woods” (written and composed by Ewan Fellows), was used as the production’s finale; the song effortlessly combined themes of family difficulties, relationships and comedy in such a short amount of time. This was the perfect ending to the performance as it highlighted the cast’s ability to create chemistry as well as their vocal abilities.
The company’s strongest performances were their comedy sketches. The cast paid homage to some British comedy favourites including Key and Peele, Mitchell and Webb and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. Cast members Andrew Wilkinson and Jamie Wainwright stood out in these scenes with impeccable comedic timing and cadence and had the audience laughing and cheering throughout the show.
Many amateur companies struggle due to tight budgets but Butter Side Up’s ability to take a minimalist set and create an entire scene is incredible. Many (if not all) of the solo performances used a singular prop or no prop at all, yet transported the audience from a prison cell, to a bedroom, to a farm and even to hell! The cast were timely with their stage entrances and exits and any slight slip-ups or times when a prop would not cooperate were approached with professionalism and a sense of humour.
The second night of Thestival 2025 was the perfect celebration of theatre both old and new. Butter Side Up has a fantastic cast and company. It was obvious how much work had gone into putting Stage Presence together and you could feel how much the cast enjoy what they do. Though Thestival 2025 has come to an end, Butter Side Up are returning to the Leadmill with their production of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. Visit their website for information about the company as well as future performances.