Apocalypse stories tend to focus either on the terrifying build-up to a disaster or its tragic aftermath. Hens & Chickens Theatre’s Channel Surfing at the End of Days offers a different take, its characters blissfully unaware of the doom about to befall them. With this conceit writer and director Callum Pardoe offers up an enjoyable anthology of funny and engaging short pieces, spanning a range of scenarios and genres.
Emulating its title, Channel Surfing at the End of Days flicks between several unconnected stories. We jump from scene to scene, sometimes right into the heart of a dramatic moment, and the sections vary in length, some just a few lines and others allowed to linger. The genre differs, too: some are comedy sketches, others poignant character dramas and one is even a ghost story.
Each of these dramatic morsels offers something different and they are pretty much all compelling in one way or another. The shorter scenes are the strongest, with the quick-fire jokes landing better than some of the longer and occasionally overwritten monologues. But each story offers enough to be interesting, and it’s refreshing to sample a selection of different genres and styles across the hour.
Though the individual scenes are generally satisfying on their own merits, it is difficult to discern the through-line that connects them all. The framing device, that these characters are all living out their last moments, is never really drawn out in any explicit way. Indeed, I’m not sure I would’ve picked up on it at all if it weren’t for the description in the play’s synopsis.
The cast are a little uneven but generally have a good handle on the material, with the strongest performances coming from Joe Stanton, who has some of the meatier parts. Outfitting the actors in drab officewear, slacks and white shirts, is a nice touch, heightening the sense of the everyday and the ordinary.
The lighting, set and sound design are minimal, with the only score being a couple of Joy Division tracks piped in at the start and end. Joy Division and David Lynch are cited by the creators as major influences, and while I’m never averse to hearing a bit of Unknown Pleasures, it’s not particularly clear how these themes or styles are reflected in the finished product. Channel Surfing at the End of Days is an entertaining hour of storytelling with a lot to enjoy, but it would benefit from a bit more of a cohesive approach to bring it all together.
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