Louise Reay: Hard Mode

If you leave Louise Reay’s show Hard Mode you’ll have learnt at least one thing: that 'P.I.M.P' by 50 Cent sounds infinitely better in the Chinese language. This does mean that the scrambled points being made about an oppressive government already in place in the UK, and musings on the power to leave an abusive relationship get lost somewhere in the mire. Which is a shame, as Reay is clearly an intelligent performer with a vast knowledge of the Chinese government and their rarely publicised dealings. There's also a personal turn as she discloses her recent divorce. But overall, the show suffers from too many ideas and not enough clear execution.

Throughout the show, three masked authoritarian government workers keep the peace in the audience by placing bibs on the masses. This provides a sense of undeserved dread while Reay trots through half formed characters and plays shonkily edited footage of a very convincing Ai Weiwei on the screen. Being bilingual Reay excels when speaking Mandarin, and a particular highlight is her re-enactment of a classic Eastenders scene with Grant Mitchell, Peggy and Frank Butcher all in this foreign tongue.

There are nice touches, such as observations on the ubiquity of Jeremy Clarkson on state-sponsored television, but the whole thing feels like a substitute teacher trying to impress upon a primary school class that oppression is bad. Not hard-hitting enough to be provocative theatre, not funny enough to be solid satire, the whole thing fizzles out rather disappointingly.