Cabin Fever - A First Class Act

Aurelia Harris-Johnstone and Beth Miles. Photo courtesy of the artists.

Cabin Fever. Written and performed by Aurelia Harris-Johnstone and Beth Miles at The Albany Theatre, Coventry, Saturday 12 April 2025 (last performance of two).

Review by Charles Essex.

Two actors were perfect in word, action and expression as they portrayed 12 characters on an 11-hour flight.

Take your seats and get ready for take off. An 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles was condensed into 50 minutes in the company of Aurelia Harris-Johnstone and Beth Miles.  Wearing air steward uniforms as they welcome ‘passengers’ to the auditorium, Aurelia and Beth discard these and wear all black with no change of clothing throughout as these two very versatile actors portray 12 characters.

The set is a simple slightly raised dais with two chairs which became adjacent aeroplane seats, where most of the action took place.  Beth played husband and wife Rachel and Michael, forced due to a rescheduling of their flight to sit in economy, but therefore to sit separately, which cleverly allowed this running scene to develop.  Beth played Rachel splendidly as insensitive and snobbish, sitting next to Aurelia as Alice, a long-forgotten school chum.  Aurelia had a variety of facial expressions as she endured Rachel’s insufferable one-way, self-obsessed conversation.

Cabin Fever. Photo courtesy of the artists.

 Meanwhile Michael was forced to sit next to Anastasia.  All the pairings of the characters were excellent but their depiction of these two was perhaps the stand-out pairing.  Beth captured superbly Michael’s superficial assuredness and male mannerisms, such as manspreading his legs and rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.  Anastasia was a Californian therapist.  Aurelia gave her a voice and manner that just dripped honey and oozed sincerity.  Despite his initial resistance, over the duration of the flight Anastasia teased out Michael’s deepest fears and acknowledgement that his marriage was on the rocks.

All was not happy amongst the crew. Aurelia was a bullying but insecure lead steward, berating Beth as her junior colleague who was working her first flight.  Aurelia and Beth, who wrote the script, captured many of the characters on a flight in 30 second recurring vignettes. Aurelia was a child who kept kicking the seat in front of her to her mother’s exasperation.  Beth and Aurelia became a very elderly northern couple taking a first flight to America, a present from their children. They had brought their sandwiches with them.  Beth and Aurelia were even a family of four, rather slobbish parents from Sarf London and their two fighting squabbling children. 

Aurelia and Beth slipped easily and seamlessly between characters.  They were perfect in word, action and expression.  This was an outstanding routine.  All the passengers left the auditorium smiling!  After several more performances in the UK they are taking their show to New York.  I assume they are flying…