Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
A humorous and heartfelt telling of love, music and memories.Summary
Rating
Good
In Other Words by Matthew Seager is a two hander play depicting a loving couple’s experience as one of them develops Alzheimer’s disease. Premiering six years ago, the production returns at the Arcola Theatre and is directed by Andy Routledge, with Seager reprising the role of Arthur alongside Lianne Harvey as Jane.
Jane and Arthur are a couple deeply in love. A companionship perfectly in tune, bonded by laughter and their mutual appreciation of Frank Sinatra’s rendition of Fly Me To The Moon which when played has the ability to defuse disagreements; filling the space with smiles and playful dance. When Arthur begins to behave erratically suspicions are raised, but by then it is too late; the shadow of what’s to come has already set in. Jane watches as her husband gradually disappears from her eyes, slowly becoming engulf by dementia, whilst Arthur’s once familiar, safe world becomes a frightening, alien one; surrounded by strangers who claim to know him.
Seager uses flashbacks to narrate the story with the characters switching from a dream-like state- with Jane and Arthur in a happy bubble, to the present (which can, also be interpreted as the past). This device is used throughout the play and creates a feeling of time bleeding into itself; the present and the past melding together in an indistinguishable, cyclical loop. This mirrors the confusing and painful journey experienced by both characters as the seams of their relationship is aggressively unravelled.
In Other Words does well to examine the importance of memory and how essential it is to the foundation of human connection. It questions whether we are still the same people once memories are altered or lost and poignantly sheds light on the effect Alzheimer’s has on family members as well as the individual enduring the disease.
Harvey and Seager’s portrayals are sincere and believable, yet the depicted relationship we’re presented with has only two levels. Pre-Alzheimer’s where they are an ever-joyous couple and post, where their interactions become fraught with uncertainty. The two extremes clash and sometimes make their former life appear as purely saccharine bliss and one dimensional, rather than authentically contrasting how tragically Arthur’s decline dramatically changes them.
Whilst at university Seager worked with sensory stimulation in a care facility and witnessed ‘the utterly transformative power music can have on those living with dementia’. His use of music plays an important plot point with it being crucial to Arthur’s connection to Jane. However, it’s a shame music and sound in general wasn’t utilised more to explore the inner working or Arthur’s mind in a more visceral, fantastical way. With the production already being dream-like, the play had scope to experiment with this. It would have been exciting to see the music element as a more tangible facet and witness how it becomes a powerful conduit transporting Arthur back to his memories. Though flash backs are used, symbolising the fluidity of time and memory, this trope becomes repetitive and does little to guide the audience deeper into the experience of Arthur’s inner world.
Seager takes on a delicate topic; not shying away from the difficult aspects of this disease. In Other Words is a compassionate, honest and enjoyable play.
Written by: Matthew Seager
Directed by: Andy Routledge
Produced by: Tom Dixon and Matthew Seager
