The Lesson
by Eugene Ionesco
The Hope Theatre
Director: Matthew Parker
Designer: Rachael Ryan
Sound Designer: Simon Arrowsmith
Photographer: LH Photoshots
“Rachael Ryan’s staging in the round and Chris McDonnell’s lighting rarely finding true darkness also means that this production interrogates our role here. We’re more than audience members, we’re witnesses to something, maybe even complicit too as our reactions are plain to see.”
“Changes in the lighting and soundscape are made unobtrusively, building and building until we suddenly realise just how oppressive and repugnant the setting has become. Whilst the actors put on the deliberately overworked, highly physical performance that an absurdist piece demands, Chris McDonnell and Simon Arrowsmith shift the environment in a much less conspicuous fashion, the sound barely noticeable at first. Suddenly, some way into the play, we find ourselves trapped in a truly gruesome situation that bears no resemblance to the opening scenes. It'ds something akin to the frog-in-a-kettle analogy - you don't notice it heating up until it's too late - and it's done to extraordinary effect.”
- ✭✭✭✭ Views from the Gods
