Freefall
By The Corn Exchange Written by Michael West
Directed by Annie Ryan
Production
'Hospitalised after a stroke, a nameless man (Andrew Bennett) experiences a series of flashbacks to some of the most traumatic moments in his life. Written by Michael West and directed by Annie Ryan, this production eschews the iconography of Corn Exchange’s usual Commedia dell’Arte approach. Instead the play takes us inside the man’s head, where the precision of the company’s signature style is juxtaposed with freewheeling evocations of half-glimpsed memories. The result is a compelling exploration of what it means to be human, as the story segues between a regression to childhood and the impact of a damaged upbringing on the adult psyche. The ostensibly disjointed narrative is superbly marshalled by West and Ryan, as the fragmented shards of memory coalesce into a detailed mosaic. The cast contributes excellent performances, with Damian Kearney, Janet Moran, Ruth McGill and Louis Lovett playing multiple roles, but it is Bennett’s story. Raging against the dying of the light as he roams the stage in his pyjamas, his hapless grasping after meaning makes for a performance that haunts long after the lights come up.'
