Niche

Niche is a witty and coolly intelligent show, beautifully realised, about the manufacture of celebrity and other infectious creations that ‘go viral’. 

Things ‘go viral’ every day.  We all know what that means, or think we do, but strictly speaking, we’re wrong and it infuriates epidemiologist Jodee (Emily Tomlins): ‘That’s not how a virus works!’ she barks into her phone.  Jodee is an intense and possibly humourless, ascetic scientist, a private person who lives in lycra and works alone in a windowless room with some gym equipment – an outlet, we suspect for much that is supressed.    

But a management company, misusing the term ‘viral’ like everyone else, wants Jodee’s expertise to find which persona will ensure would-be celebrity pop star Niche (Eryn Jean Norvill) can go viral.  Jodee is sceptical: that’s not her field… Her field is infectious diseases… After the offer of a great deal of money - Jodee succumbs.  With all her forensic skills raised to a higher if inappropriate pitch, Jodee throws herself into the task.  But she is not immune.  She too can be ‘infected’.  As the celebrity virus rages in her blood, she feverishly researches and compiles her report, finding that Niche has a bewildering variety of personae to offer.  

Niche can and does sing in a number of contemporary styles, or a pastiche of them (and it’s credible: Ms Norvill really can sing very well and the music is absolutely plausible).  Then, in a brilliant satiric sequence, she offers several variations of the award acceptance speech.  ‘Grateful and humble’, ‘Solipsistic’, ‘Enigmatic’ and so on.  We’ve seen them all and this play nails the fakery to the wall.

Jodee’s scientific objectivity comes close to being overwhelmed; she gets hot and bothered and, despite herself, begins almost to fall in love with what she knows is a confection, a creation with whom she actually has to fight – but who turns out to be… a quite normal, nice, tentative, ordinary woman in person…  which confuses Jodee even more…

Jodee’s research, meanwhile, is interrupted by ‘interviews’ on video in which we see some other, contrasting varieties of virus.  Ms Tomlins and Ms Norvill play, first, a father and son team of limited intelligence ‘survivalists’ in their bunker, contemplating and preparing for the end of the world.  Second, a middle-class couple of excruciating dullness who have bought into a housing estate, the advertising for which they parrot, and which they just knew was ‘home’ the minute they saw it.  The fact that Ms Tomlins and Ms Norvill are immediately recognisable as these deliberate caricatures distances and skewers them and their viruses for our contemplation.

Congratulations to Creative Producer Samantha Butterworth for pulling together this very well-resourced production with a giant screen for the ‘interviews’ (shot by Sam McGilp) and the loops of disturbing animations (by Sebastian Berto), dazzling light effects from Amelia Lever-Davidson and a clever set from Owen Phillips that combines Jodee’s office and a pop concert catwalk – with a trench between.  Niche’s fabulous but just this side of ridiculous costumes are by Emily Collett, and her kitsch choreography is by Helen Duncan.  Nic Holas’ direction gets the tongue-in-cheek tone just right – both women never try to be ‘funny’ - and is as smooth and slick as can be.

Niche (what a double-edged name) is gently acidic, funny with an edge and hard-hitting – a show with something to say coated with sugar to help the medicine go down.

Michael Brindley

Photographer: Jodie Hutchinson