Composer: Alex Judd
Director: Guillaume Pigé
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Cycle of Memories“
4 / 5
It’s Tom’s 55th birthday, his daughter has set out his outfit for him, and his two best friends are on their way with a cake. He’s lived a good life, but now diagnosed with young onset dementia, he knows it’s going to be a long road ahead, for him and his loved ones.
Performed as a mostly wordless play, the audience are given an insight into Tom’s (Guillaume Pigé) brain, where he’s trapped in a cycle of memories, mostly from his childhood, clinging on to them before they fully slip away. We’re shown his carefree school days, where he first meets his best friends, and future wife, as they pass notes and play around during class whenever the schoolmaster isn’t looking. We’re shown the slow-building, shy connection between him and his partner, then their subsequent wedding day celebrations. Tom’s memories fade away, or abruptly cut out, the disjointed, sometimes non-linear storytelling allowing the audience to feel the same frustration Tom has.
Because there is such a long segment of the show focused on his school years, which feature many similar style memories, interest does wane at points and there’s an anticipation to move forward with the narrative to avoid repetitive similarities of hiding from a teacher and giggling with friends, so when it does finally push forward, it’s an enjoyable transition that allows Tom’s character to become better fleshed out. The cast (Pigé, Luna Tosin, Claudia Marciano, Callum Littley) work wonderfully together, each movement perfectly synchronised, and successfully relaying the narrative without the need for a script.
The live score, composed by Alex Judd, and performed by Nathan Gregory, Henry Webster and Mary Johnson, is phenomenal and impressively creates the majority of the emotion and atmosphere surrounding the narrative. As memories slowly fade, so does the music, creating a warped, distorted sound effect that cleverly jolts the reminder of Tom’s dementia back into place. A touching, emotive and impactful production.
Runs until 8th October then continues to tour
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