One Hundred Percent – Precarious Theatre / Barons Court Theatre, London

A darkly comic new play at Barons Court Theatre, One Hundred Percent explores the cost of artistic ambition and self-delusion in the performing arts.

One Hundred Percent: The Burden of Promise

We’re back at Barons Court today. Not to see the tennis (though it is that time of year), but to see One Hundred Percent, a new work at the Barons Court Theatre. Written by Benjamin Sumrie, Marco Biasioli and Liam Grogan (who also directs) from an idea by Sumrie, its darkly comic premise is simple. Ten years on from the acting exam in which he garnered a perfect score (that elusive marker of talent and promise) that distinction now seems more of a burden to our main character, who is still struggling to ‘make it’. By the time the action begins, he has somehow lured the very examiner who set him on this course (or ruined his life, apparently) into his flat for a cup of tea. As you might expect, things unravel from there.

It’s a decent premise, and at just under an hour, it isn’t overextended. Sumrie takes the role of the actor, while David Allen and Francesca Maria Izzo share the role of the examiner. I saw Izzo last night, and I have to say gender casts a (perhaps unintended?) shadow over the dynamic between the two characters. It brought to mind The Last Incel, which I saw recently: men blaming women for problems within their own grasp, or of their own making.

Izzo’s performance, particularly at the outset, also reminded me of an uncomfortably familiar feeling. This encounter isn’t necessarily a pleasant or a safe one. But so often women in similar situations have been socialised to keep the peace, not hurt feelings, not make a fuss… Sometimes with unpleasant results, sometimes with horrifying ones. It’s satisfying, then, to see Izzo own her power as the play progresses. But I wonder how it would feel without that gender dynamic. Audiences on alternating nights will be able to report back.

The Cost of an Artistic Career

It took me a little time to push past this discomfort. But the play really hits its stride when our actor decides to recreate his apparently exemplary examination. I actually looked up the second piece to see if it was real: the exact sort of thing that turns up far too often in student exams. Very funny, and a clever nod to drama training clichés. But no spoilers here. This structure allows Sumrie to show off his range: a benefit of the slightly metatheatrical approach that draws attention to the slipperiness of performance itself. There’s an enjoyable doubling here too. The character within the play struggling with performance and identity, much like Sumrie’s own character, trapped in the machinery of theatrical success and failure.

And in its way, the play’s thematic core echoes that of Hamstrung, which we also saw recently. The slow subsuming of self in the pursuit of an artistic career, and the psychic toll this can exact. The desperate chase for approval, validation, or even simple acknowledgement feels uncomfortably recognisable.

What would take One Hundred Percent to 100%? As with the examiner’s initially vague feedback, it’s hard to pin down precisely. There are technical points, particularly the blocking. Barons Court Theatre is an odd space with some awkward sightlines. But not seeing the examiner’s face or reactions during several crucial moments felt like a missed opportunity. A small thing, but one that affected the emotional charge. Otherwise, this is a piece that shows potential, and I was pleased to learn it’s heading to a couple of upcoming festivals. Unlike our actor’s shaky career, it’s one to nurture and watch.

Salterton Arts Review rating: 3/5
One Hundred Percent on until 21 June 2025. More info and tickets here.