Who would want to live forever, if death was optional and your consciousness could be uploaded to a cyborg made from your own corpse. Science, Religion and mortality of a loved one; big themes all addressed in a small studio show that had the audience on an emotional roller-coaster. 'Beyond Belief' by Tmesis Theatre Company and directed by Elinor Randle was a delightful production, performed in The Lowry Theatre's Studio, a perfect fit for this gem of a production.
'Beyond Belief' is the tragic love story of Simon played by actor Charles Sandford losing his partner Chloe played by Eleni Edipidi, but death isn't the end, when tech giants Beyond Belief take over and bring Chloe back as a Cyborg. Presented with lots of music, movement and innovative physical scores that captured the romantic nuances of every great Sci-fi work, this was a thrill to behold.
Sandford and Edipidi were wonderful as the lead couple and were supported by the highly talented Nick Crosbie and Jennifer Essex playing the heads of Beyond Belief and other comical minor roles. Crosbie's Elvis impersonation received instant laughter from the audience. Elvis greeted Chloe on her arrival in heaven and on reflection Elvis The King welcoming people to heaven with his lilting melodies in the background was sweetly emotive.
The cast of four made for a strong ensemble, the physical score was so detailed and full of foreshadowing that I don't want to detail anything and give away the shock ending. So well done that my brain is still processing all the events.
An especially delightful element of the design were the simple stage blocks, a feature used by many small companies, small wooden squares on stage can transform into chairs, beds, staircases and/or a variety of other things. A special feature of these stage blocks were the blue lights inside of them. reminiscent of the brief case in the film Pulp Fiction, the light illuminating the actors faces as they looked into the open boxes begged the question, what's in the box! The actors manipulated the boxes around the stage in such a way that different scenes were conjured before us, boxes sliding across the stage became a warehouse, boxes lined up next to each other a bed and stacked on top of each other they became a podium for the Exec Vice President to deliver her final speech.
I greatly admired the physical skill of the actors in this piece and the wonderful detail Tmesis Company and Randle created to make this production as a whole very impressive. An epic story told with minimal props, filled with vibrant movement and music, an overall success of theatre making. I can't wait to see the next production by Tmesis.
Reviewer - Kerry Ely
on - 14/3/19
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