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A funny, touching and energetic piece of physical theatre from a highly accomplished cast.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Flying pizzas, flying chairs, flying five pound notes. No wonder the seaside town of Wellstone is in turmoil. The sergeant is convinced it’s ghosts: it’s certainly a baffling case for Inspector Tate (Owen Bleach). And he’s not too happy when London sends down his nemesis, the mysterious Rodriguez (Flo Wiedenbach) to investigate the disappearance of an American waitress (a powerful performance from Lexie Baker).
It seems everything centres around Norwegian resident Tom Marvel (Halvor Schulz), who has suddenly gained miraculous magic skills. Except those magic skills aren’t his, but the product of an accidental friendship with Griffin (played by the acrobatic Pierre Moullier), who happens to be invisible.
The multinational, diverse cast of five play multiple roles, effortlessly slipping between characters by donning a kagoul, a pair of police epaulettes, or a Cornish accent. The proceedings are overseen by a DJ at the back of the stage (Jonathan Ben-Shaul) whose sound effects and music mixes punctuate and illuminate the action.
What makes this theatre company stand out is the extraordinary physicality of the performance: the cast glide around, above and below each other in tightly choreographed scenes requiring exact timing and precision. A scene depicting a fight in a pub, baffling when viewed from the perspective of a CCTV camera, makes perfect sense when it’s later repeated with the presence of the invisible Griffin. Scenes where the CCTV is rewound, or played in slow motion, are particularly enjoyable. To make physical theatre look not just balletic but effortless takes tremendous skill.
With a script that neatly slips between comic and tragic, this is a hugely entertaining 75-minute show performed by a universally able and enthusiastic cast. The play questions the nature of friendship, of love and deceit, with an expert lightness of touch. Highly recommended.
Dramaturgs: Rosanna Mallinson, Jonathan Ben-Shaul
Producer: Akimbo Theatre Co
No One plays at Omnibus Theatre until 28 January 2023. Further information and bookings can be found here.
