Assembly George Square Edinburgh
Raw Material with Vanishing Point and Aberdeen Performing Arts
***** Five Stars “Once seen never forgotten”
Reviewed by Jonathan Lauren
This show is mesmerizing and utterly memorable.
It deals with the universal themes of love and loss with honesty and lightness, using a design element by Becky Minto that almost acts as the fifth character in the story. But deeper still, it speaks of our profound need as humans to communicate and connect with one another – the delight with and the despair without.
Elicia Daly’s Nurse anchors us in the real world, showing us, herself loathing and frustration of not being able to sign and communicate with Harry initially, and her progressive learning of the language. Her empathy and exhaustion come in spades – a stunning performance. Amy Kennedy’s portrayal of Harry’s wife is sublime – dreamlike, humorous, and yet grounded. Young Harry played by Rinkoo Barpaga works in total unison with his older reflection and bridges the gap between past and present. Simon Wilkinson’s lighting furthers the journey, playing with reflections akin to the iconic use in the film classic An Affair to Remember. The musical score also by Minto highlights delight and distortion of memory and location brilliantly. Matthew Lenton’s direction weaves this compelling story together, spanning different times, locations, and realities. Ramesh Mayyappan playing of the protagonist Harry is utterly captivating, compelling, and it’s very hard not to be swept up with him. It's been a while since I've been sat in the theatre willing a character to decide. I wept, grieved by grandparents, laughed, fell in love, and questioned my own life's choices.
This is a gem and a sucker punch of a show, and I long to see it tour across the UK for all to see. A huge well done to the whole team.
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