Cow/Deer by Katie Mitchell, Nina Segal & Melanie Wilson. Jerwood Upstairs, the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1 until 11 October 2025, 4☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.
Photo Credit: Tatenda Matsvai.
Cow/Deer by Katie Mitchell, Nina Segal & Melanie Wilson. Jerwood Upstairs, the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1 until 11 October 2025,
4☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.
“Something extraordinary.”
If ever there was an experiment in what can be done in the theatre this hour-long piece is certainly one that takes the breath away. You can watch it with you eyes shut since it is a listening experience and what you see, although undeniably intriguing, is not necessary as you are not seeing actors performing anything just four persons creating sounds. It is a summer day, a heavily pregnant cow and a deer are spending the day in the country. You hear bird song, the sound of aircraft flying overhead, insects making the noises insects to, dogs bark and trains and motor cars pass by – or at least some sort of vehicles, possibly tractors, pass by. It could be a bit like watching the sound effects people in a radio studio at work, but it is more than that. Not sure what happens to the cow, she may give birth, and at one point it sounds as if the deer gets shot but perhaps that is not what one hears except that after the shot, we hear the deer no more. Four performers, because they are not acting so one cannot call them actors, handle bundles of straw, pieces of fruit and vegetables, vessels containing water which gets poured, and things that get pummelled, sticks that get broken or knocked together, the sounds created being picked up by a line of microphones. We hear what they all add up to, the soundscape that has been created. The cow lives in an ordered world, the deer roams free, and the soundscape is the world climate change is affecting, will affect more, will possibly destroy. It is not a night out at the theatre event – if you want that go see Les Misérables or Evita - but it is theatre doing something which, even if you hate it, is extraordinary.
Cast
Pandora Colin
Tom Espiner
Tatenda Matavai
Ruth Sullivan
Creatives
Katie Mitchell, Nina Segal,Melanie Wilson – Co-Creators
Designer – Alex Eales
Lighting Designer – Prema Mehta
Foley Score originated by Tom Espiner & Ruth Sullivan
Sound Artist – Melanie Wilson
