Kyoto Review (@sohoplace, London)

14 April 2025 I 19:30 I @sohoplace, London

⭐⭐⭐

Curated for audiences by the RSC and Good Chance Theatre, Kyoto provides a unique and charged dramatization of UN climate debates, a fascinating play inclined to prioritise the trends of unconventional theatre. Having the opportunity to be seated 'in conference', a highly immersive experience essentially marks our West End debut as delegates in the room. Though with the dangers of an overintellectual script and rapid pacing, audiences are forced to play catch up in this political thriller.

Directed by Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, viewers are given a once-in-a-lifetime insight into the COP3 Kyoto Conference Centre. Detailing climate summits of the 1990s, from early Geneva talks to the landmark COP1 in Berlin, nations of the world seek an environmental vantage point. To set aside their differences, leaders from across the world must reach an agreement for the sake of the Earth, and time is running out.

The @sohoplace auditorium is modest and intimate, an in-the-round format as the pressures of the negotiations table are amplified by surrounding audiences. Miriam Buether's set is far from passive, involving a small number of audience members (myself included) with 'in conference' seating, sat around a circular table alongside the performers.

This is an enthralling opportunity, unlikely to ever experience the same in the West End again. The close proximity, able to share small conversations and interactions with your fellow actors / delegates to live through the action. Where this seating falters is through sensory excess, overwhelming surroundings at every given moment. With a high-rate of entrances and exits, side discussions and occasional instructions given to you, the responsibility to 'perform' and be present draws focus from the show's intention, cautious of an overly gimmicky design.

The Kyoto Protocol was not a simple resolution, with oil lobbyist Don Pearlman silently sabotaging crisis talks on behalf of the Seven Sisters. Despite his own greed and surrender to corruption, Stephen Kunken's character is curiously likeable, a reliable narrator performed with a proud steeliness. An exploration of his private life with Shirley (Jenna Augen) is sincere and humanising, leaning into this trust.

His opening monologue establishes the tone expertly, although contextual understanding can be restrictive. Audiences burst into laughter where I am repeatedly unable to connect, for instance on mention of the millennium bug, falling outside of my age's relatability. Equally with the politicians of the text, from Angela Merkel to John Prescott, a familiarity with the nineties may benefit the way in which you experience Kyoto.

With fascinating wordplay, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson's script is clever, although extremely fast in pacing. One line of direct address from Kunken asks if the audience are confused (a question that a creative team shouldn't have to ask), where a barrage of information requires time to breathe. As we try to wrap our head around the previous scene, it can be easy to lose vital narrative details in the present. Non-linear sequences are highly credible, one scene excelling in a vocal collage of punctuation to satirize the finicky, over-precision of writing environmental clauses.

From the nature of a political drama, some characters are inevitably unlikeable, which provides a dynamic contrast. Sympathy is in great abundance for developing nations, where Andrea Gatchalian's impassioned monologue representing Kiribati, albeit a supporting role, becomes the pivotal heart of this production. There are surprising depths of comedy across the show, where Jorge Bosch's Olivier-nominated performance as Raúl receives well-earned eruptions of laughter, an endearing balance of tone.

An additional mention is crucial for Akhila Krishnan's video design, engrossing when used. From literal conference presentations, archival riot footage and live projection as a wider illustration of political media manipulation. Video is a greatly successful aid in displacing an otherwise static set.

In a dramaturgical outlook, Daldry and Martin's Kyoto is skilful and stylistically inspiring, with 'in conference' seating surreally able to shut the entire audience out and truly live inside a period of lesser-known history. The play largely withdraws impact through its script, requiring research post-show to inform this review, and failing to consider the impact of a weighty audience responsibility. Making the danger of assumption in knowledge, it is possible to leave the theatre mentally drained following Kyoto.