St. Nicholas
The Other Room
Running from Tuesday 1- Friday 11th March
Proving that outstanding drama does not require an extensive cast, Christian Patterson provides an incredible single-handed performance as a theatre critic battling his demons in this piece by Irish playwright Conor McPherson. Plunged into a hedonistic world of alcohol abuse and debauchery with an added touch of the supernatural involving vampires, the audience are drawn deep into the sinister side of the world of the theatre critic.
On entering the intimate venue of The Other Room, the audience were given a sense of the darkness going to unfold as the area was smoky and dimly lit by a single glowing bulb on an un-shaded lamp stand in the background. To the side of the stage was a chair, occupied by our character, already looking lost in his thoughts and uncomfortable with himself. It is testimony to the power of the piece just how much emotion could be conveyed from being sat in a chair! Good use was also made of the rest of the stage space, which, being limited, also helped to convey the frustration of the character about the restrictions in his life. The production was aided by the use of music in the form of unsettling hums or whirrs which were ever-present in the background. This worked well, intensifying the atmosphere in small crescendos to emphasise a part that was particularly eerie or troublesome.
The rapport between character and audience was well-established from the outset and we were absorbed into his vicious world of theatre criticism and notions of self-grandeur which he is also simultaneously disillusioned with; in keen moments of humorous self-awareness, he mocks not only his own “power”, but the fact that he has been imbued with this status at all. Despite being a monologue, this play is certainly not monotonous: Patterson provides the perfect embodiment of this tortured soul with exquisite physical presence, facial expressions and gestures, as well as vocal talent that has the capacity to embody several characters yet maintain the personality of the central figure narrating.
There are moments when the character addresses the audience directly, involving them and making them complicit as listeners to his tale. These instances provide laugh-out-loud moments as well as incredibly poignant, emotional insights. The final speech is particularly emotionally charged as he discusses whether his story was a dream, what constitutes a dream, as well as the varying natures and intensity of love. The genuine emotion which came through in Patterson’s evocations was extremely moving and, it felt very possible that there were real vampires in the world that had such a profound effect upon this man.
Due to the metatheatrical moments blurring the boundaries between art and life, it feels slightly strange writing this review as the character comments on his own work: “I was feeling generous that night: I gave them a mixed review.” However, there is certainly no “mixed review” about this production: it comes highly recommended as a superb piece of story-telling.
Tickets £12
For more information:
http://www.otherroomtheatre.com/en/whats-on/current-productions/
words LUCY MENON