With the edinburgh festival over, I thought it would be back to more standard forms and formats of theatre... I was happily wrong! Reverence is a promanade piece of site specific theatre for the openning of the new southwark play house - and what a great openning show it is!The entire audience are placed in role as 'monks' and initialted into the piece - being given robes and ropes to wear for the entire time and even being taken through some basic latin.
The story unfolds around you, and takes place in different locations. As audience members it is up to you to walk between the different scenes as guided by the actors - and infact you are garenteed to not see everything as several scenes happen at the same time!
This piece, is both beautiful and gritty. The love story is touching, with a stunning performances by Pieter Lawman and Leandra Ashton. As for Jason Cheater who plays the villain - the main drips pure evil the entire time, and it has been a long time since I saw an actor be in such complete control of both the space and his audience when at the end he brings the hero's world crashing down around him.
A special mention has to go to Michael Cox, for a wonderfully tender 'Thomas'. His endowment of the charcters atributes was just so generous. He loved the Hero's, feared those in power and was horrified by the deaths - and he helped us to walk that path exquisitely.
Joel Scott has a show to be proud.
5 Stars!
NOTE: Ticket prices are done like Ryan Air! First lot are £7, next lot are £13, then they are £20. It is worth booking in advance if you can.
Reverence: A tale of Abelard and Heloise
Goat and Monkey Theatre
Show starts: 19:30 (15:00 Sat mats) Till September 22nd 2007
Venue:
Southwark Playhouse
Shipwright Yard
(Corner of Tooley St. & Bermondsey St.)
London
SE1 2TF
