A Remarkable Person

It’s a little bizarre to go and see something which calls itself ‘a touch of genius’ in its description. Not that someone hasn't indeed said that, but it does rather set itself up for a fall. This may well be the case in other circumstances, but thankfully for A Remarkable Person, it is far from the truth in this case. This show really does create something very special indeed, the sort of play where you want to leave and read it over in your own time, just to further digest some of the genuinely interesting and thoughtful things it has to say.

This show will make you think, without talking down to you.

The story centres on one character, a storyteller, who we see presented in three different forms, played by three different actors. They each talk of the book they are trying to write and struggle back and forth with what they want to say, all the while also wrestling with what it may in turn say about them. Interestingly this takes the form of the storyteller imagining and re-imagining their own funeral, playing out what may be said and remembered about them. The main character is unashamedly self-interested and insular, and this struggle between craving recognition whilst not wanting to be seen to self promote is a really fascinating dichotomy of thought within the human condition. As the script scrutinises the idea of “facade construction”, the three actors philosophise on how we can ever claim to be truly without pretence.

What this play does really well, is make you feel thoughtfully about your own perception of how we each project ourselves on to the world. It examines the unavoidable mark we each make with our words and actions, whether we like it or not. The sheer inevitability of this mark is, in many ways, the only conclusion that can be drawn.

These three actors take this task on with great skill and energy, and have a clear understanding of the text and the direction choices. They seem physically and mentally comfortable in their performances, both in the space and with each other. Bearing in mind that english is not their first language, they deal with the delivery of lines almost flawlessly, with only a few forgivable slips.

This show will make you think, without talking down to you. Its philosophical without being too abstract to understand, and has such a relevance to modern thinking and life that I dare you not to leave reflecting on how you construct your own facade.