Howard Horner Archives - thespyinthestalls.com

River in the Sky

Hope Theatre

Reviewed – 8th August 2019

★★★

“Turn Point Theatre’s production is poignant yet warming, but a more daring approach to the acting would do justice to this original and thoughtful play”

Ellie and Jack dream of having a family. After a series of miscarriages, they have a son. But he dies and their world is shattered. ‘River in the Sky’ exposes their contrasting reactions for coping with the loss and pain – to detach from the familiar past or immerse oneself in it – until they realise that they need to help each other work through the mourning and begin to heal. Over the comfort of tea and biscuits, they argue to release the unsaid and distract and reconnect by telling each other stories of fantastical beasts.

Writer and director, Peter Taylor, captures and bonds both human and dramatic elements of the couple’s agonising fragility, artfully incorporating the various stages of bereavement into their own experience. He personifies grief as the enormous, overpowering monsters in their tales, the pair struggling separately to overcome them; only when they finally join forces can they challenge their demons. Taylor weaves the many layers of this distressing and complex subject into an imaginative drama. From the clever riddle of the first scene, we get wrapped up in the detailed descriptions of fighting against these oppressive powers and then, like the characters, we are brought back to earth, reminding them and us of the inescapable continuity of everyday life.

Howard Horner portrays Jack with a genuine disarray of torn emotions. We are drawn to the young father’s tenderness, caught up in his vivid nightmares and empathise with his confused feelings of attachment towards Ellie. Only at the end when he briefly mirrors the child is there a slightly uncomfortable, affected moment. As Ellie, Lindsey Cross’s performance is lower key. Her storytelling lacks the passion of one desperately running away from reality; she creates expressive movement to the words but there is little dynamic contrast in her voice or pacing. It is as if the volume button has been turned down vocally and emotionally and, though sensitive to the script, it comes across more as a poetical rendering. Anastasija Roitenberga’s sparing stage set of four large cubes works as cliff, rocks, table, chairs, cot… as well as looking, perhaps unintentionally, like children’s building blocks; her lighting adds spirit to the illusions.

The title ‘River in the Sky’ could be interpreted in various ways. It is perhaps the power and inevitability of nature, a boundary to be crossed, the perception of time passing or simply life itself, from source to sea. Turn Point Theatre’s production is poignant yet warming, but a more daring approach to the acting would do justice to this original and thoughtful play.

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

Photography courtesy Turn Point Theatre

River in the Sky

Hope Theatre until 24th August

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Head-rot Holiday | ★★★★ | November 2018

Alternativity | ★★★★ | December 2018

In Conversation With Graham Norton | ★★★ | January 2019

The Ruffian On The Stair | ★★★★ | January 2019

Getting Over Everest | ★★★ | April 2019

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story | ★★★★★ | April 2019

Uncle Vanya | ★★★★ | April 2019

True Colours | ★★★★ | May 2019

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

★★½

“The play’s premise is a ripe and interesting one and a promising structure for a fringe piece”

Grief, love and storytelling: some of life’s pressure points. Peter Taylor’s play oscillated between all of these, glancing upon moments of sincerity and tenderness. But no one emotion or experience was sustained, leaving me sometimes engaged, but ultimately unresolved.

Lindsey Cross and Howard Horner performed with commitment and passion. Their personal portrayals of parallel experiences of the grief of the loss of a child were heartfelt and genuine. Letting my eyes wander around the Lion and Unicorn’s in-the-round black box, I saw some moved and connected audience members. What the play lacks in clarity and depth, the actors try and make up for with presentness in the space and trust in one another.

The characters’ monologues contain vast emotional journeys and, at points, I found the direction excessive. Having each emotion and thought played by a recreative action was often distracting, especially because the play seemed to be reaching towards both characters achieving a sense of consolidation with their grief. River in the Sky worked well in the round: the privacy of the couple’s situation being viewed from all vantage points, as they struggled to communicate. But their time together in dialogue lacked the physical or emotional knowledge or understanding between two people who are or who have ever been partners, despite the individual actors inhabiting their roles. This was down to a somewhat disparate script; and scenes which built and fell from climax to catharsis rather at random.

The play’s premise is a ripe and interesting one and a promising structure for a fringe piece. The technical elements served the play in its current form and made it cohesive. But each character needed more layers in order for the play to do justice to its vital themes.

Reviewed by Eloïse Poulton

Hope Theatre

Reviewed – 8th August 2019

★★★

“Turn Point Theatre’s production is poignant yet warming, but a more daring approach to the acting would do justice to this original and thoughtful play”

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

Photography courtesy Turn Point Theatre

River in the Sky

Hope Theatre until 24th August

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Lion and Unicorn Theatre

Reviewed – 29th May 2019

★★½

“The play’s premise is a ripe and interesting one and a promising structure for a fringe piece”

Grief, love and storytelling: some of life’s pressure points. Peter Taylor’s play oscillated between all of these, glancing upon moments of sincerity and tenderness. But no one emotion or experience was sustained, leaving me sometimes engaged, but ultimately unresolved.

The play’s premise is a ripe and interesting one and a promising structure for a fringe piece. The technical elements served the play in its current form and made it cohesive. But each character needed more layers in order for the play to do justice to its vital themes.

Reviewed by Eloïse Poulton

River in the Sky

Lion and Unicorn Theatre until 1st June

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: