The Northern Stage at St Stephen’s is a rather wonderful room, and the Unfolding Theatre Company’s Best in the World – directed by Annie Rigby, written by Carina Rodney and performed by Alex Elliott – has whipped up a fantastic set in it, complete with dart board and TV screen playing inspirational quotes from the heroes of the darts world through the decades as the audience enters.
The hour-long performance is a cross between an essay on exceptional sportspeople and a motivational lecture, and the calm, engaging, slightly off-kilter presence of Elliott is the perfect guide through a rather unique and totally unpredictable show.
The first few minutes are absolute basics: this is a dart, this is how a game of darts is scored, this is Alex Elliott, here is his moody black and white 8x10 promotional headshot. Through the following sixty minutes the show’s ideas accumulate and converse into a little network of interesting perspectives on sport, art and our own emotional choices. The audience is regularly invited to participate, and some of the things people were happy to share with a group of complete strangers were genuinely moving.
If this all sounds rather mawkish, you may have a point. The show is tirelessly positive, encouraging us at to shake off our self-doubts and visualise success the way Olympians Jonathan Edwards and Tammy Grey-Thompson did. And yet it made a convincing argument, largely through the effective construction of the show’s central symbol: darts. Darts, argues Elliott, is a great leveller. You don’t have to be rich or fit; like many of the things we try to achieve in life, all it requires is an unusual amount time, dedication and concentration.
That the show didn’t collapse under the weight of its own feelgood importance is testament to the quality of the script, which knows exactly how long to spend on each topic and how seriously to take it, and Elliott’s performance, which is sincere, authoritative, and ultimately very winning.St Stephen’s is a long old walk from most of the big venues, and 12.45pm is an odd time to get the necessary boost of self-confidence to make it, but it’s certainly worth the effort. Keep an open mind and this is a show that might genuinely change how you think.
