28 March 2024 I 19:30 I Trafalgar Theatre, London
⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Mirror, Sam Holcroft's modern text, transfers to the Trafalgar Theatre following a successful run at the Almeida Theatre. The attraction to the show is an air of secrecy, walking into an unknown environment. With a run time of two hours (no interval), the pacing does not allow for the opportunity to relax, a staging confronted with creeping danger.
As you enter the theatre doors, every element has been tailored alike a wedding foyer, the attention to detail is immaculate. The front of house staff even get involved! Max Jones' set is subtly beautiful, cast engaging with pre-show conversations across the auditorium. I admire the vision to push a wedding façade, collapsing as authoritarianism looms unspoken. And with an Order Of Service for every guest, we are automatically involved in this tension, instructions that, as audience members, we must follow.
Whilst the script carries underlying oppression, the tone is surprisingly comedic. Jonny Lee Miller's Celik is enthralling in both styles. Outstanding in the embodiment of character, his body responds to shifts in charm and menace. One of the strongest displays of raw acting I have witnessed without rest. Tanya Reynolds expertly juxtaposes this energy with an awkward Mei, tremendously likeable. The levels her composure progresses allows us to consider how lucky we are in regards to political state censorship, with Holcroft's script acting as a social message to implore on our freedoms.
Cellist Miriam Wakeling remains onstage for the entirety. I become engrossed in her work, developing a sinister soundscape even beyond the strings, using the body of the cello and all sections of the bow to emulate a creeping audio. Samuel Adewunmi reflects a dejected victim in Adem, realising the emotional pains of control that hurts to observe. Geoffrey Streatfeild holds my favourite role in Bax, a bewildering playwright who tests the boundaries of theatre standards (a brilliant voice too!). The concept of a play within a play etc. is challenged, with morality blown apart in a cataclysmic ending.
A Mirror is a performance that makes you think a lot post-show. Final scenes have potential to confuse and overwhelm, disrupting everything we understand. Although, it is very impressive in using the entire space to great effect under Jeremy Herrin's direction, placing viewers in the dystopia with a persistently relevant message.
Part of a shorter series of reviews, initially published on Instagram to manage university demand.
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