FIRST NIGHT REVIEW: The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other
- Posted on February 8, 2008 4:37 PM
- 7 comments
The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other.
National Theatre.
By Peter Handke, from a new translation by Meredith Oakes.
Review by Zarina Raja
I liked the sound of the play because of its name; The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other; cool and mysteriously inviting. This may not be the best way to choose which plays to go to but, so far, this method has been reliable.
It was only after I had booked tickets that I was informed that it was a play with no dialogue. No dialogue? What? I thought I may have made a theatrical faux pas, but fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised
In a wordless play, you would expect plenty of dancing, singing and music. Or even some heavy dramatics and glittering costumes. But no, this was just your average play, void of regular speech. Intrigued?
The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other is essentially like sitting in a café window, for an hour and a half, and losing track of time while you watch the world go by.
The mystified audience spends the majority of the play watching various characters stride across the stage, rarely sticking about for more than thirty seconds. Over the duration of the play, 450 different walks of life cross the stage as if it was a street.
Although it is tempting to think, is this it, I think it is, simplicity being the key to The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other. However, I think that there are hidden layers to every character that pass before your eyes. If it was a film that could be watched again, I’m sure that each character would reveal themselves in a different way every time.
Just before the end, something happens which I can’t explain, but it was damn good. The play comes to a standstill; the audience know that something has happened but no-one really knows what. Maybe they did, but I had no idea. This made it even more exciting though. What? Why? What are they doing? What’s happening? The response I received: silence of course.
The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other is simple, ridiculously watchable and strangely beautiful. Its dazzling uniqueness portrays that theatre is limitless. It is also surprisingly funny. It is not good, however, to get the giggles half way through – try stifling laughter for 90 minutes, it is pretty difficult, as you can imagine.
Snippets from Handke's working notes for the play.
4th July 1991
An actor who, whislt walking, plays a different race, an extraterrestrial.
11th July 1991
Waiting at an airport; the people who fall in love with one another, the transformation of the people waiting by the arrival of the awaited.
15th July 1991
The person racing, calming down when approached by another racer.
18th July
The futile quest leads to the finding of something other: wonderment.
Buy tickets for The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other.
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Comments (7)
Peter James
If I had wanted to sit in a cafe and be bored I would have brought a cup of coffee. The audience on Saturday night thought the same as I noted at least 5 who we had falen asleep and many more who were (like me) looking around to find something more interesting than was what was happening on the stage. At the end I heard people booing. A first for me at a production at the national. The only thing that stopped me walkign out was that I was in the middle of a row. Please tell the National to finish this before it dies.
Posted on February 11, 2008 6:02 PM
susie riddle
You obviously didn't get then Pete eh?? Never mind, try panto.
Posted on February 15, 2008 8:02 PM
Darren Peacock
Hey Peter, have you tried 'The Chuckle Brothers'? I think it would be more your level, the play was awesome I absolutely loved it!
Posted on February 15, 2008 8:05 PM
matthew thomson
I believe the immaturity of susie and darren is quite astonishing. the realm of theatre advocates a difference in opinion. this is experimental theatre, it is bound to be displeasing to many, and it is deliberatly trying to be controversial. if this was shorter it would have done itself more justice. although i can see some of the themes it seems to suggest, it is not a successful execution of it, and is arrogant to continue for an hour and a half or longer, it verges on pomposity. i will give it the credit that it is accessible, but for mostly wrong reasons. this is my opinion in which i am entitled to. thank you.
Posted on February 20, 2008 2:57 AM
Maryane M
No Susie...YOU obviously don’t get it. Hmmm now what could that possibly be? Could it be that you've willingly allowed yourself to succumb to the fraudulent parade of grown men and women, (some worthy of inheriting life insurance and a second term in their pension) aimlessly running around, at times walking and oooh ahh even skipping on a plain low budget stage! I do wonder where that £15 went to...because it most definitely did not go to the creativity department...must have dropped down the cracks and the flaws of this time wasting play. Yes bravo, well done, for being ABSURD "EXPERIMENTAL" yawn yawn...who cares! Experimental is so conventional. For once could we just do away with the splodge of paint, the silent plays, the empty sheet...and produce something worth seeing, hearing, and talking about. This is where I take a bow...for a well constructed criticism...THIS IS WHAT I CALL THEATRE!
Posted on February 20, 2008 3:10 AM
Katerina
The best thing about the play is the effect on your perception of the world once you leave the theatre. My friend and I felt incredibly displaced after the play, more along the lines of "what the hell was that?", so sat down to think it out. Yet sitting down amongst people was strange, since it was as if we hadn't left the play at all. All of a sudden normal movements and passers-by became almost comical. It was strange to watch all these people, the act of watching had taken on a different meaning. That is what the play does, perhaps one of its messages being life is a play and we are the actors by assuming roles.
Posted on March 18, 2008 12:28 AM
Just watched it
This play is utter nonsense. I too sat waiting for the people to stop criss-crossing the stage and deliver some resemblance of theater. If this was intended as 'people watching' then the actors should have been able to portray real life, instead it felt like 'actor watching', and poor student wannabe actors at that. I'm very disappointed to have paid to watch such a pointless & boring production.
Posted on April 11, 2008 10:13 PM
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