Land Without Dreams: Conventional Play Meets Performance Art At Gate Theatre
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Last Updated 22 November 2019
This one-woman show, from Copenhagen-based theatre company Fix&Foxy takes a different approach to time travel. Written and directed by Tue Biering, it challenges the audience to imagine what the future might look like, given the environmental and social catastrophe we seem to be heading for.
Translated from the original Danish, the piece is more experimental performance art than a conventional play. It lacks many of the obvious trappings of theatre, like costumes and scenery. The house lights stay on most of the time and the solo performer speaks to us directly — a bit like stand-up comedy, without the jokes.
The lack of visuals are made up for by a subtle yet powerful soundscape by sound designer Janus Jensen, and actor Temi Wilkey’s disarming ability to get us to paint pictures in our mind. Her mesmerising performance makes us feel both at ease and uncomfortable. Her amiable tone lulls us into a false sense of security that is rudely upturned when things take a somewhat more dramatic turn.
It is very much a play of two parts. Sci-fi fans who might be wondering where the first 45 minutes of repetitive monologue are heading are rewarded with an unexpected adult-rated B-movie spectacular final scene.
Land Without Dreams, Gate Theatre, Pembridge Road, W11 3HQ. Tickets £15-20, until 7 December 2019.
