Performed entirely
without dialogue, this 75-minute performance piece is nothing if not testing.
But since it is written by the always-interesting Chris Goode (The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley, GOD/HEAD and more) who comes with consistently good
form, it would be churlish not to take a look.
Originally devised in
2006, Longwave has returned in 2014 with Tom Lyall and Jamie Wood as the two
actors charged with portraying scientists stranded in a shed in a bleak,
hostile, unwelcoming environment. They play games and make music to pass the
time while trapped in the middle of nowhere. Their only source of comfort is an
old wireless, which also provides their only occasional links to the world they
once knew.
Tom and Jamie do an
excellent job of portraying the repetitive routines of the two scientists who
live together in their tiny shed. Through intricately choreographed routines
the audience gets an intimate glimpse inside their minds – to see who it is they’ve
left behind at home, their struggles with the isolation, and their joy when
their research yields positive results.
To achieve all of this
with no dialogue is quite some feat, and this is where the tool of the longwave
radio really comes in. Although we do hear some scripted dialogue via the radio
at times, the words chosen are selected with such care and thought as to only
be crucially necessary to drive the narrative forwards and give the audience
further insight into the characters.
While in a world
dominated by communication, music, chatter and social media it is easy to be
deafened by the constant barrage of sound being thrown at us, Longwave and its
silence initially seems like a daunting prospect. But the reality is a simply
beautiful piece of theatre that is a fascinating experiment into silence, and
how to chose your words more carefully.
I saw Longwave on its
last evening in Plymouth, however it is touring to London, Crew and Lincoln.
Click here for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment