Theatre review:
Chris New as Daniel Quinn. Photo: Jonathan Keenan
Written
by Paul Auster (adapted for the stage by Duncan MacMillan)
Directed
by Leo Warner
HOME,
Manchester
Until
18th March 2017
Review
by Brian Gorman
Additional material by SM Worsey
Rating:
5 stars
Well,
this is eye-opening (and mind-expanding) stuff! Adapted (by Duncan
MacMillan) from the first book of American novelist Paul Auster's
1980s trilogy, the 59 Theatre Company have a world premiere to be
proud of.
This
is an intense, beautiful, visually-glorious experience that kicks
off with depressed thriller writer Daniel Quinn's urge to take on
the persona of his private eye protagonist, resulting in a series of
alternative realities spinning around each other, and creating a
fascinating, horrifying, and mind-boggling web of intrigue. Setting
aside his personal material reality, our hero becomes consumed in
his own script, following a middle-of-the-night phone call to a
seemingly wrong number, that he had subconsciously longed for. A
beautiful woman needs his help when her disturbed husband is
threatened by his domineering and terrifying father. But, the woman
thinks she has called a private detective called 'Paul Auster', and
Quinn elects to play along. Yes, folks, it's all a touch
meta-textual.
Jack Tarlton as Stillman. Photo: Jonathan Keenan.
Creating
his own reality, based on his literary vision, Quinn (played by two
actors, Mark Edel-Hunt and Chris New) is soon embroiled in a series
of nightmare, film noir inspired scenarios involving femme fatales,
eccentric wealthy oddballs, and acid-tongued alter-egos. When things
don't go according to script, Quinn becomes obsessed with finding the
'truth'. He clings to the memory of a kiss, like a crazed drug addict
desperate for the next hit, and we have no choice but to accompany
him.
Eventually
coming up against a physical, mental, and emotional brick wall, with
every other character either presumed dead or missing, Quinn
sacrifices everything. The finale is grand, disturbing, evocative,
exotic, and genuinely inspiring. The special effects are truly
amazing.
59
Productions have really gone to town in delivering Auster's vision,
with incredibly intricate lighting and visual effects by Matt Daw,
terrifying and nightmarish sound design by Gareth Fry, and an
evocative score from Nick Powell. A small cast of six have plenty to
do, especially Edel-Hunt and New, who allow the energetic Quinn to be
in several places at the same time. New also doubles as 'Paul
Auster', when all apparent logic goes out the window and we have a
writer pretending to be his own P.I. Protagonist meeting another
writer with the same name as the real-life novelist, but has
seemingly been mistaken for another fictional private eye (who is a
real life private eye in the context of the play we are watching).
Confused? You will be, but you won't mind.
Jack
Tarlton is mesmerising as the ghostly Peter Stillman, the son who has
been experimented on for years by his deranged father. Evoking Rutger
Hauer's Roy Batty from Blade Runner, he moves like a stop motion
mannequin, and speaks like a man possessed by competing demons.
Tarlton also plays the elder Stillman as a soft-spoken psychopath,
clearly distinguishing him from his wretched son. Vivienne Acheampong
is suitably sultry and enigmatic as Mrs Stillman, and equally
effective as contrasting supporting characters.
Vivienne Acheampong in 'City of Glass'. Photo: Jonathan Keenan.
In
City Of Glass, there is no objective reality. There are reflections,
there are ghosts, there are visions, dreams, and promises. As 1980s
chart-toppers T'Pau once said “Don't push too hard; your dreams are
china in your hand”, and it's pretty dangerous to push hard against
glass. The late philosopher and science-fiction writer, Robert Anton
Wilson created the term 'reality tunnels'. He once opined “I don't
know what anything 'is'. I only know how it seems to me at this
moment”. We all write our own script. It is only by abandoning the
script, that we can truly be gods. We have to abandon the ego.
Illustration by BG.
Tags:
City Of Glass, HOME, Manchester, Paul Auster, 59 Productions, Duncan
MacMillan, Leo Warner, Nick Powell, Mark Edel-Hunt, Chris New, Jack
Tarlton, Vivienne Acheampong
Originally published at www.thereviewshub.com
