Billed as a ‘drama’, Heaven’s Gate, which explores the Titanic disaster (this year is the centenary of the sinking), proved to be a seemingly unintended comedy. The first major problem was the accents. Apart from Jamie Rodden’s convincing Irish drawl, every other performer struggled with the various accents attempted. Some of the performers’ accents were so hilariously bad that, twinned with the tragic nature of certain serious, heart-rending monologues, a strangely comic effect was produced.
The structure of the show itself was bizarre. It starts in a cafe that eventually turns out to be purgatory watched over by the manic angel Remiel (an odd choice, Remiel is not mentioned in the Bible itself, but is only found in apocryphal literature, why not just dramatise Peter?) who invites the audience to decide which character survives the disaster by voting using green and red cards. This mix of straight theatre and audience participation is intended to involve us in the action, to make us appreciate the randomness and cruelty of chance. Unfortunately, it gave the piece the feeling of a GCSE final performance crossed with the loveable wackiness of a fighting fantasy novel.
The fundamental problem with the show is that it attempts to be far too clever. Rather than focusing on the stories and experiences of real people, it gets caught up exploring the complex metaphysical questions of fate and destiny. Another odd thing to note; the ancient Greek Moirai are described thoroughly in the programme, only to be replaced in the play by the thoroughly Jewish Remiel.
There is a very definite line between the ridiculous and the sublime and sadly Heaven’s Gate is undeniably on the wrong side. Where it should have come across as poignant it felt silly; where the audience interaction should have brought us closer to the disaster, it felt trite and corny. All things said, I did quite enjoy myself. If you are looking for a serious and touching Titanic drama do avoid this piece. If you want to see a bit of crazy theatre, I couldn’t recommend something more odd.
