REVIEW: Mile End
- Posted on February 9, 2008 8:40 AM
- 0 comments
Mile End
Southwark Playhouse
February 4th 2008 - February 23rd 2008
Review by Zakia Uddin
‘Mile End’ is never seen, but the name conjures up the play’s ghostly urban wasteland, where individuals live in proximity but only connect through traumatising experiences. Analogue had great success with this 55 minute play at Edinburgh last year, and have now brought it to the dark, atmospheric environment of the Southwark Playhouse.
The two storylines – a couple teetering on the verge of domestic implosion, and a man struggling in a flat with a life of its own – occur simultaneously on the stage. Kate and Michael (played by Hannah Barker and Liam Jarvis) have a comedic Mars-Venus type relationship. The tension is built up slowly, as Michael’s premonitions and terrifying dreams hint at his deterioriating mental health. Somewhere else in London, a lone man called Alex (Sam Taylor) sits in his flat, calling up the Meterology Office every day to inform them their weather report is inaccurate . Talking about the weather becomes a dangerous, doom-laden activity. At one point the sky starts raining birds, a realisation of one of Michael’s dreams.
The supernatural element is hinted at in the presence of three black body-suit wearing personal demons, who hover around Michael and Alex, disturbing their possessions and physically pushing them around, suggesting they are linked in some way. A set of stairs projected on a black screen are Alex’s only connection to the outside world. On the other side is a man who is intermittently shown walking up and down the stairs, warning Alex: ‘It’s f***** murder out there’.
Physical theatre and clever visuals merge the two storylines towards the end. The engaging banter between the couple dominates the first half, making the main theme of urban alienation seem anorexic, and under-explored. However, the artistic direction by Jarvis and Barker successfully creates a sense of claustrophobia and alienation through projections and screens. ‘Mile End’ evokes greater themes than it develops thematically, but this might be down to ambition. It manages to surprise, and impress in under an hour, and successfully captures that sense of urban loneliness which is both inspiring and destructive for so many here.
Related links:
Theatre tickets on Seatwave.
The Southwark Playhouse official site.
More info about Mile End.
Show starts: 20:00
Running time: 55 minutes
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