Theatre / work in progress
Review: Hell, Rondo Theatre – ‘A work in progress from Emily Malloy’
Theatre people always maintain that theatre is simply storytelling. It’s a way of exploring the human condition and sharing experience to better understand who we are and allow us to communicate more honestly with each other.
Hell, written and directed by Emily Malloy for Dumb Blonde Theatre Company is a ‘work in progress’, with a four night R&D run at The Rondo Theatre in Bath. The Rondo has always encouraged new writing (it also has a cracking professional programme coming up) so hats off to them for supporting this show in its development.
Inspired by Germanic mythology and folklore, Hell introduces us to Ash, who is hiding out in an abandoned theatre during some unspecified apocalyptic event. Em arrives – a stranger who does not speak his language and is suspicious of his motives. Gradually, their need to co-exist for the night, avoiding the carnage outside, enables them to realise they can reach each other through Em’s stories and Ash’s willingness to interpret them.
is needed now More than ever
Hell – photo: Dumb Blonde Theatre
Half of the play is performed in German, which turns out to be much less of a barrier than it first seemed (unless you speak German) and actually reinforces the point that the human condition is universal, and that if you know how to communicate on a human level, language is no barrier to comprehension.
The conceit is that the world has ended, because the theatre is empty. The hell of the title is that without theatre, there is no point. Well, that’s what it would mean to me, anyway.
Emily Malloy knows her theatre history. Hell is also a nod to the Huis Clos maxim that hell is the proximity of other people, and the frequent breaks to chat to the audience about what is going on are classic Brechtian ‘show that you are showing’. She also knows how mythology developed from dark nights, the thrill of fear and the cautionary tale tradition of behaviour control.
Photo: Dumb Blonde Theatre
For those of us who remember the Mitchell and Webb ‘event’ sketches, it is hard to take a post-apocalyptic scenario seriously. But watching this show the day after fires ripped through this country on the hottest day on record, I can understand the attraction to use it.
With beautifully simple music by Harry Miller and Lydia Malloy, this is a work which will benefit from the audience feedback the company requested at the end. My guess is that it will be shorter and more definite in its messaging. I hope it attracts support, to avoid the clichéd necessities that come with self-funded work.
But theatre people also know that low-budget, profit share shows are always going to be made, because storytellers won’t stop telling stories.
Hell is at the Rondo Theatre, Bath, on July 20-23 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.ticketsource.co.uk.
Main photo: Dumb Blonde Theatre
Read more: Review: MOO28, St Paul’s Church Crypt
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