100
★★★★☆ Stretching
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39): Sat 5 – Fri 25 Aug 2017
Review by Hugh Simpson
An otherworldly take on very human dilemmas is aided by some outstanding performances in Lone Light Theatre and New Celts Productions’ 100.
100 was originally written and staged by theatre group The Imaginary Body in 2002, when it won a Fringe First. It remains an intriguing work, with a group of people finding themselves in preparation for the afterlife, with only one hour to choose an abiding memory from their life to guide them through eternity.
Daniel Lumsden with Frances Bonner and Rachel Still. Pic : Lone Light Theatre
This production’s classification as ‘physical theatre’ may be off-putting for some, but there is as much stylised movement in the average Royal Lyceum production – which just goes to show how much the techniques of physical theatre have entered the mainstream.
In truth, the more physical elements of the piece are its weakest point; not all of the movement is sharp or defined enough. There is no director credited – just two ‘rehearsal advisors’ – and perhaps a more definite overview would have remedied this.
Otherwise, this is all very fine. Rachel Still is thoroughly convincing as Sophie, the careerist forced to re-examine her achievements, while Daniel Lumsden’s Katu, a tribal Galileo who confronts his people’s beliefs, avoids the traps inherent in playing someone from a very different background and gives the character a touching universality.
energy
Mark McMinn and Frances Bonner, as the couple whose impressions of their relationship may not be identical, are utterly believable and almost heart-breaking.
Best of all is Cait Irvine, as the figure who is there to guide them. The energy on stage suddenly goes up a level as soon as she appears, and she gives a fascinating performance, full of mysterious light and shade – however, this is always at the service of the ensemble rather than overshadowing the other performances.
Minimal props are well used, and light and sound – both by Angelica Araceli Saludes Estevez – add to the air of strangeness.
Plays about evaluating what is important, or discovering you ‘true self’ can be bogged down in sentimental sloganeering. Here there are no easy answers, and some very fine acting indeed makes for an extremely thought-provoking experience.
Running time 1 hour (no interval)
theSpace on the Mile, 80 High Street, EH1 1TH (Venue 39)
Saturday 5 – Friday 25 August 2017
Odd dates only at 12.50pm
Book tickets on the Fringe website: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/100
Lone Light Theatre Facebook page: @LoneLightTheatre
On Twitter: @LoneLightT
ENDS
