You walk into a warmly lit room and sit down. Two people fizz around the space, chatting to people who seem willing and helping people to find their seats. A little screen tells you that the show is starting, and Jo Fong grabs the microphone and looks at you. This sounds like it could be the start of some harrowing performance art piece; the sort that makes you clench your bum and hope that no one looks at you, for fear of becoming victim to some deeply unfunny and alienating ‘audience participation’. But that couldn’t be further from what Jo Fong and George Orange’s The Rest Of Our Lives is or wants to be.

A reflection on the realities of aging, The Rest Of Our Lives is a funny and heartfelt blend of physical theatre and circus. Fong and Orange use movement to explore the expectations we have of performers, and the expectations performers – and all humans – have of themselves, and how they must change as they grow older. The show comprises a series of skits about different aspects of aging, with the over-arching theme of asking where all of us go from here – post-COVID, post-re-entry into the world and now seemingly nothing other than our own bodies and minds can hold us back.

A dancer and a clown, the two performers bring their skills together to make a show that is as multi-faceted as they are: moving and hilarious, raucous and meditative; all set to bangers from throughout the decades. Fong in particular is notable for her incredible expressiveness – you can’t help but be present with her in whatever she is doing. Orange’s energy is unfiltered and exhilarating: he is completely unapologetically here, and utterly hilarious. Both performers’ movements are at times beautiful, at others completely stupid – Fong and Orange are both capable of making the unremarkable remarkable and the remarkable totally unmarkable.

One of the most remarkable things about Jo Fong and George Orange’s piece, however, is its total open-hearted friendliness. There is no pretension here, no assumption that they are cleverer than their audience. We are all humans who have and will continue to, navigate complex things, and in the moments that they curate the only things that are important are reflection and joy. No matter what they are doing, no matter how silly or emotional or seemingly risky, you as an audience member feel totally safe and at home with them.

Any developing artist looking to understand how to engage their audiences without making them hate you should come and see The Rest Of Our Lives: it’s one of the most unique theatrical experiences I have ever had. I have never experienced such a gentle and open space, or such a happy and willing audience; I have never played ping-pong with 20 other people in a theatre before.

The show’s ending – I won’t spoil it, lest you have the chance to catch it on tour – is a testament to the skill, empathy, and wisdom of these two amazing performers. What does the rest of our lives have in store? If Fong and Orange are anything to go by, some truly amazing things.

The Rest Of Our Lives, The Riverfront, Newport, Sat 1 Apr

words HARI BERROW