NEWS TICKER
REVIEW: I And The Village, Theatre 503, ✭✭✭✭
Published on
June 18, 2015
By
editorial
I And The Village. Photo: Natalie Mitchell I and the Village
Theatre503
12 June 2015
4 Stars
Review by James Garden
As one enters Theatre503, one instantly is aurally stimulated with the intense rushings of John Adams’ Shaker Songs for strings—a piece of contemporary composition that both assaults and sooths. It demands attention, yet simultaneously entices.
Such is also the case for the play and production I and the Village, currently playing at this southwest hub of new writing. It may be the best piece of new writing you’ll see at a pub theatre this year. Written by Silva Semerciyan, an American turned permanent resident of the UK, she elucidates a distinctly American problem—mental illness and all too readily available firearms—with a precision unseen in many new works. The text is knowing, without being too esoteric.
I and the Village takes place in two simultaneous timelines. First, a retrospective of sorts, as a theatre company investigates the fictitious Michigan massacre, to eventually perform a work based around it “sort of like the Laramie Project, but better.”
Second, we follow Aimée, our victim/assailant, through the events leading up to the critical moment. Similar to The Laramie Project, we have a small company of actors, or Congregants as the play suggests, who play every role, with Aimée, masterfully played by Chloe Harris, as the only character who retains stage presence throughout. Every congregant plays their central part and switches between other parts with great dexterity.
The accents in the production are firmly in that wonderfully bizarre quasi-Canadian place as found in the north central parts of the US, and Nic Redman, the dialect coach, should be applauded for her work. Very few productions of American work in London (or even on the BBC) actually get the accents right—more often sounding like a weird Brooklyn thing out of Newsies, even if the play takes place in Boston or LA—but this production has done it, for the most part, correctly.
Jess Curtis’ design for the production firmly amplifies the work in ways that do not intrude on the text, yet utterly compliment it.
If there is one critique of the production itself, without giving away the spectacular ending of the piece, one wishes the climax could be a bit less shouty. This is a small space, and variation in intensity in such moments is key for maximum effect. But this is nitpicking.
I and the Village is a spectacular evening at the theatre.
Go see it, now.
© BRITISHTHEATRE.COM 1999-2024 All Rights Reserved.
The BritishTheatre.com website was created to celebrate the rich and diverse theatrical culture of the United Kingdom. Our mission is to provide the latest UK theatre news, West End reviews, and insights into both regional theatre and London theatre tickets, ensuring enthusiasts can stay up to date with everything from the biggest West End musicals to cutting-edge fringe theatre. We are passionate about encouraging and nurturing the performing arts in all their forms.
The spirit of theatre is alive and thriving, and BritishTheatre.com is at the forefront of delivering timely, authoritative news and information to theatre lovers. Our dedicated team of theatre journalists and critics works tirelessly to cover every production and event, making it easy for you to access the latest reviews and book London theatre tickets for must-see shows.