Tuesday, 4 September 2012

a serpentine narrative that tantalisingly encrypts meaning...

****

An adaptation of Ben Okri's book 'The Comic Destiny', this show is a gritty experimental piece that confronts the turbulence of our world. The show flickers between the rehearsal process and the finished product to highlight the softening boundaries between actor and character. Indeed by displaying the effect characterisation and performance has upon them, the audience is forced to feel similarly affected. Consequently the play has a serpentine narrative that tantalisingly encrypts meaning. The acting was faultless and utterly convincing, particularly David Johnstone's presentation of a bipolar lunatic that alters between timidity and wickedness. The philosophical subject matter is at times a little exhausting but only because of its sheer profundity and depth.

tw rating 4/5 [Paige Wilson]