★★★★

“the script and performances had me uncontrollably laughing throughout”

This play was quite possibly the best way to end my week. When my friend asked me what I was off to see Friday night I sent him the first few sentences of the synopsis for the play, his response, “That first sentence grabbed me dude” and I can’t disagree with him “Two Flat-Earthers travel to Antarctica to find the edge of the world”. I was hooked! This Little Earth was something I hadn’t yet seen or heard of being put on a stage and it explored much more than I expected.

Without giving too much away, This Little Earth is a retrospective rollercoaster jumping you from different continents and points in time. The story follows Honey and Christopher who start in perilous circumstances with the audience left on a literal cliff-hanger as we are cut to their meeting over extremely awkward flirting and shared tragic backstories. We then follow them through their preparations to journey as far South as you possibly could in hopes to find “the edge of the world”.

This play, whilst harmlessly poking a little fun at the Flat-Earth theory, also explores a wide range of deep themes and emotions that will engage all audiences.

I couldn’t help wondering throughout, how much time in research writer Jessica Norman spent with Flat-Earthers. Because, whilst watching these characters discuss their opinions on the matter using similar rhetoric that an ex-colleague of mine and proud Flat-Earther previously had, it made me do a mental double take from hearing similar arguments and talking points that it felt eerily too familiar. It can be easy to dismiss conspiracy theorists as crazies, but Jessica Norman found a way to allow audiences to gain a little sympathy and understanding to how easy it is for your beliefs to change with a lot of help from algorithms and echo chambers.

Admittedly, I am a tough audience member to crack at comedies. But, the script and performances had me uncontrollably laughing throughout whilst also developing an irrational fear of penguins.

Fanta Barrie and Ross O’Donnellan, directed by Imy Wyatt Corner delivered sensational, dynamic performances. Their connections to their characters and each other were captivating to watch with an expressive display of emotion over a multitude of tough subjects and themes. So much so that the audience needs little imagination to be transported around the globe with them. I look forward to seeing what they tackle next.

A special mention to the set (Cat Fuller), lighting (Hugo Dodsworth) and sound (Jamie Lu) team. There were honestly moments I caught myself in awe at the visuals and hearing echoes bouncing around the theatre that made me think I was trapped in a cavern with the cast. The set deceptively looks very minimalistic to begin with. It gave the impression of an Antarctica where Superman could happily hang up his cape at the end of the day. The team at 3 Hearts Canvas brought this original piece to life and if I saw this being performed again in the future I will eagerly push as many people as I can to watch it again with me.

DEAF REPUBLIC

Royal Court

★★★★★

“a show that has it all: a resonating war story, impeccable acting, beautiful language and incredible design element”

Deaf Republic, an adaptation of Ilya Kaminsky’s poems, is a piece of theatre that requires time to process and digest. Dead Centre, a theatre company famous for their groundbreaking theatre making, along with Sign Language poet Zoë McWhinney, create a world that is accessible and painfully relevant to the horrors that take place in the name of humanity every day, through puppetry, video performance and silence that speaks volumes. It’s almost like a respectful slap in the face.

In a fictional town named Vasenka, war is raging and after the murder of a deaf boy, who couldn’t hear a soldier’s commands, the whole town suddenly goes deaf. Everyone has to adjust to a new, silent reality, while enduring the consequences of living in an occupied territory. Alfonso and Sonya, a couple who run a puppet theatre, are determined to keep their puppet shows going. When tragedy hits their family, it’s up to the townspeople to carry on the fire of the resistance.

During a very Brechtian introduction, we’re told how British Sign Language (BSL), subtitles (or rather, surtitles) and spoken language will get merged in the performance and that what we’re about to see is a fictional story. The actors first create some distance between the characters and the audience, in order to help us assess what we see from a more objective point of view. But that comes crashing down when one of the characters mentions that in sign language ‘you can’t be a passive observer, you have to take a position’, so the audience is addressed as the people of Vasenka, we become part of it. An intriguing contrast, or debate, that keeps unfolding till it’s clear that being just an observer is not an option that does the citizens of the Deaf Republic justice. Which raises the question: should we lean more on our emotional responses or on our reason and logic?

Co-writers and co-directors, Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd, also Dead Centre’s artistic directors, urge you to come to your own conclusion and they use deafness as a means to instigate a rebellion against a military oppression. Dead Centre is familiar with challenging the barriers of theatre performance, like in another show of theirs called Chekhov’s First Play, where parallel narrations are provided to the audience through the use of headphones. In Deaf Republic, it’s not just BSL and spoken language that come together, but also a magical community, full of laughter and hope, and an overwhelming state of brutality, full of despair. The balance and delicacy with which this epic story navigates both is outstanding and leaves you with a feeling of peaceful exasperation that sits deep in your gut.

The cast are an ensemble of hearing and deaf actors and it truly feels like a celebration of cultures, where everyone connects with and is fully attuned to one another. An array of skills, from aerial performance to poetry and exceptional puppetry, that could become distracting, simply elevates some wonderfully raw performances, like Romel Belcher’s (Alfonso) and Caoimhe Coburn Gray’s (Sonya). Dylan Tonge Jones’s (Soldier) gives a chilling performance as the heart of the oppression and you take pleasure in despising him.

The most impressive element of this play is its use of space. Set designer Jeremy Herbert has created a multilayered stage that includes a stage within a stage, hidden parts that we can only see through live video recording and thin walls that allow you to see different perspectives of the same scene. It’s a journey unlike anything you’ve seen before. Lighting design (Azusa Ono) along with sound design (Kevin Gleeson) complement the tone perfectly, from the cheerful beginning to the twisted and frenzied end.

Deaf Republic is a show that has it all: a resonating war story, impeccable acting, beautiful language and incredible design elements. Moreover, in this signed revolution, you get to experience a collectiveness that doesn’t let any individual behind.

THIS LITTLE EARTH

Arcola Theatre

★★★★

“the script and performances had me uncontrollably laughing throughout”

THIS LITTLE EARTH

Arcola Theatre

Reviewed on 24th October 2025

by Myles Lovell

Photography by Johan Persson

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THIS LITTLE EARTH

THIS LITTLE EARTH

THIS LITTLE EARTH

DEAF REPUBLIC

Royal Court

★★★★★

“a show that has it all: a resonating war story, impeccable acting, beautiful language and incredible design element”

DEAF REPUBLIC

Royal Court

Reviewed on 4th September 2025

by Stephanie Christodoulidou

Photography by Johan Persson

Recently reviewed at the venue:

DEAF REPUBLIC

DEAF REPUBLIC

DEAF REPUBLIC

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