Beachy Head: 5 star review by Leon Conrad

Two film-makers, filming the lighthouse on Beachy Head for a documentary about lighthouses unwittingly come back with video footage of a mans last moments before committing suicide by jumping off the edge of the cliff. On the surface, this show is about suicide and the gap it leaves in the lives of people who are left to deal with the aftermath. But deeper down, it is about much more. It takes a lot to attempt to explain the inexplicable, and Analogue, the company behind this production, transcend the sensitive subject matter and create an exquisite theatrical experience about the value of life love creativity art. They dont stop at doing it beautifully. They do it exquisitely. The action revolves (literally and figuratively) around several characters brought together in a random manner by this calculated act of suicide. The dead mans widow; the coroner, the film-makers and the presence of the deceased who continues to have an effect on their lives.Combining pre-recorded video footage and live recording filmed during the performance, Analogue create images and illustrate concepts with skill, depth and feeling. The technical aspects were honed to perfection. I have never seen video used more effectively in a staged production. The set is highly mobile in construction and very moving in use. Pieces of furniture are used as deep visual metaphors which enhance and underline the transmission of production values. Lighting is equally effective. Making a direct connection in script, on stage and with the medium of film between a flickering light bulb and the light of a star, for instance, Analogue bring to life the device of using light to highlight subtext in the plot. There is much to take in in this play of contrasts themes of completion, leaving unfinished business behind, and bringing things to completion, for instance continue to haunt my mind as I write. Analogue deserve to scoop up a stack of theatrical awards for their work. This is a highly innovative and polished production.

Reviews by Leon Conrad

Richard III

★★★★

Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi

★★★★★

The Three Stigmata of Pacman

★★★★★

The Petty Concerns of Luke Wright

★★★

scratch (work in progress)

★★★★

the brain

★★★

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Their first production since 2007s Fringe First Award winning and Total Theatre Award nominated Mile End, Beachy Head has been two years in development via Analogues characteristic method combining meticulous research with intensive cross-art form collaboration, from 3-D animation and integration of computer game graphics to original music, object manipulation, text and physical performance.

Continuing Analogues theme of work influenced by real-life stories, Beachy Head is inspired by Britains most popular suicide spot, looking at the ripple effects of one mans decision to take his life and telling three interconnected stories of those caught up in a single fall from those notorious cliffs. Previously, Mile End was inspired by the true story of a commuter pushed under a train by a man with a mental illness.

Analogues extensive research period saw the Surrey based company work closely with a professor of histo-pathology working with the Royal College of Pathologists as well as health care academics, Samaritans volunteers and experts in social care to develop a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding suicide, grief, depression, and the process of pathology.

It's been a month since Stephen jumped. Amy collects her husbands effects, the things he had with him gathered in a single box. There was no sign - no warning. Fractured memories of their last night together rewind, replay and begin to unravel. Joe and Matt are making a documentary. Whilst reviewing their footage they make a startling discovery - the blurred image of a man jumping from the cliffs. And Dr Rachel Sampson records the facts of the body in front of her, but she has her own loss to confront.

Beachy Head is a co-production between Analogue and the New Wolsey Theatre. The Ipswich-based venue have partnered the company to bring the piece to Edinburgh, following the success of their 2007's co-production, Hoipolloi's Story of a Rabbit.