REMINISCENCE. To 20 September.
London.
REMINISCENCE
by Theatre DaCapo.
Jacksons Lane 269a Archway Road N6 5AA To 20 September 2008.
Tue-Sat 8pm Mat 14, 17 Sept 2pm.
Runs 1hr 30min No interval.
TICKETS: 020 8341 4421.
www.jacksonslane.org.uk
Review: Angie Bual 12 September.
An old-hat take on Oliver Sacks’ case study.
This 90 minute production is based on Oliver Sacks’ case study of an old woman who can inexplicably hear music. Taken from Sacks’ collection The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Theatre DaCapo seem to have struggled to create a full length show from the material.
The patient Mrs O’Connor (Adna Sablyich), barely moves from her position centre stage, wobbling and shaking with the trial of acting old. The set is a huge dirty off-white bed sheet, which hangs in the background. Some basic shadow work is projected from behind it, and the sheet is pulled up and down now and again, presumably to portray her perturbed mind.
One particularly gauche scene is when Mrs O’Connor has an ECG scan. This is illustrated by her wearing a swimming hat with neon wires attached. During the tests the cast come to life with a musical number that would sit well in an episode of Sesame Street. Lit with a pink wash, the song is a cringe-worthy explanation of déjà vu and j’aime vu set to stilted choreography.
Some jabs at physical theatre fall flat due to poor timing, giving off the impression that this show was under-rehearsed. The final message seems to be that solving problems by using medication can forfeit the ability to remember, and therefore undermine quality of life. This could have stuck if we had been given a likeable character to share this concern for.
The company should perhaps reconsider the use of literature as a starting point for their work. The very nature of Sacks’ studies is that they are unsolvable intriguing dilemmas. To bring them into a theatrical context we need either more environmental stimulus or to be able to see the relationships that these problems affect.
Mrs O’Connor: Adna Sablych.
Dr Vaughan: Ian Harris.
Actor/Musicians: Charlie Tighe, Katie Pattison.
Director: Michael Callahan.
Lighting/Scenography/Projection design: Arnim Friess.
Composer: Effy Efthmyiuo, Litha Efthnyiou.
Dramaturge: Amy Russell.
2008-09-15 01:19:26