Clown Funeral are a theatre company based
in the West Midlands, who combine devising and new writing together to create non-conforming,
darkly comic plays. While I wouldn't frame tonight's show as darkly comic, I
would say Things We Choose To Save is darkly fascinating. So, here we are. We have
jumped ten years into the future, to a world where our thoughts are no longer our
own. People have messed with mother nature as our memories can now be documented
and played back in a vivid and all too real manner. This is thanks to an
advancement in modern technology.
Vic is in charge of a booming business, which
can record, store, and replay memories. He possesses a money-making attitude towards
this business, rather than seeing the cultural value that such a service could
offer; transforming people's lives for the better. Molly is one of the best
workers in the company, she regularly accesses thousands of people's memories
on a daily basis. Her sister, Billie is the latest client for the company. To
earn money, Billie is willing to sell a private and incriminating memory, involving
her father. She has no idea about the world she has fallen into.
An opening speech, delivered with stern
authority by the actor playing Vic, charted how we have documented memories over
time. From cave paintings to photos to film. The play placed an emphasis on
what's next? There has always got to be something bigger and better to replace what's
been done before. Now there was an opportunity to capture memories digitally
and experience them in a fourth dimensional quality. Private thoughts were made
public in a nightmarish look into an unsettling future.
The story seemed to imply that exposed
memories could potentially be used as credible evidence for a negative purpose.
For example, to blackmail or exploit someone, or be used in a scandal. However,
isn't this problematic? Can we (or even a court of law) declare that a played
back memory may be used as legitimate evidence to prove something? Memory is not
like a recorded video, it is fickle. A memory can change over time, be influenced
by emotion, or external factors. You can invent a memory that didn't happen. Maybe
it didn't matter in the circumstance of the story because this was about the possibility
of exposing Billie's father's wrongdoing through a journalistic context. It's easy
to spread gossip and stories based on superficial evidence. Although, I feel
this was one minor detail which was overlooked in the writing of the play.
There was excellent acting from all four
performers, they took into consideration the intimacy of the Theatre 2 space,
and gently drew us into this alluring story. The performers worked well as an ensemble
in the smooth transitions from scene to scene. When ever a memory was played, the
stage was dark, except for the shining torches on the faces of the actors. This
looked beautifully eerie. The music was brilliantly suspenseful, but I didn't feel
it featured enough, and it left me wanting more. Despite lacking any real suspense
overall, this was an enthralling play that asked what if this was the future?
And, what would the consequences be?
Reviewer - Sam Lowe
on - 8/7/18
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