‘Too Close to the Sun’ Edinburgh Fringe Review
‘This show is entirely unique and beautiful, and left us to examine how we might respond to such a cataclysmic event.’
Too Close to the Sun, directed by Horatio Holloway and Molly Knox (and assisted by Felicity Rickard), is a devised piece of physical theatre, akin to the productions that Wrongtree takes to Fringe each year. The play is composed in a somewhat epic style, with three related scenes demonstrating how different people respond to the sun failing to rise one day. In this sense, the play is a comment on the human condition, and how we relate to one another during times of trauma. Following two scientists on an expedition researching whales in the Arctic, Doomsday survivalists, and an astronaut on a mission with only his AI powered assistant for company, this show succeeds in investigating the unexpected, which makes it very intriguing from the premise.
The first scene takes place between two Arctic explorers. It is in this scene between Maariya Khalid and Scarlett Clarke that the more physical elements of the show are most thoroughly utilised, and there is the most room for moments of contemplation. In this two-hander, the actors exhibited their phenomenal capabilities, with excellent chemistry in their dialogue and equally emotive passages of monologue. As aforementioned, this scene also had the best use of physical, non-naturalistic elements, as the rest of the cast joined the pair on stage to emphasise and accentuate the emotional character of particular moments. The most memorable of these saw each actor present Clarke with another sheet of paper, surrounding her as she struggled to make sense and come to terms with her fate.
The second sequence saw members of an apocalyptic cult turn on each other as they realise that their plans to outlive the end of the world must now come to fruition. Harry Threapleton is unnervingly charming as the disturbed Colin, earning the audience’s laughter and horror in equal measure. Bethan Avery, playing the dedicated Amber, has a powerful stage presence and showcases visceral displays of fear which take the audience aback. Oliver Grieves appears as the enigmatic ’The Silence’, treated with reverie by the rest of the cult until he is sabotaged by Threapleton’s character and reveals his humanity. This section was very compelling, exploring our dependence on structure in the face of an uncertain world in a novel way. However, some of the most powerful moments in this play were those that incorporated physical sequences to heighten the emotional resonance of specific lines - Wrongtree’s stylistic niche. It is a shame that these moments were relatively few and far between in this section, and limited in the last one, given how effective they were when integrated visually!
The third episode finally saw an astronaut (Mason Peach), who has already been alone in space for eight months in a self-sufficient pod, reflecting upon the news of the sun's disappearance from his removed perspective. This scene consistently utilised music to great comedic effect, but our favourite of these examples was the opening sequence in which we saw Peach sarcastically dance to Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’. The most interesting component of this scene, however, was the inclusion of an A.I. character, Laika (Kalypso Papagiotou). With her robotic intonation and physicality, Papagiotou brought this role to life excellently, hitting every comedic, and poignant, note. Within this scene, despite the astronaut’s relative isolation in space, he is supported by this emotional program. As the scene develops, we discover that Laika will not be able to continue to function due to being solar-charged. Without his companion, the astronaut becomes increasingly distressed and unstable. Peach brings this section to life excellently, commanding the stage and exhibiting a great array of emotions. This episode ends with Peach attempting to compromise the vessel since he cannot comprehend continuing truly alone. This scene was executed extremely effectively with clever moments of comedy combined with surprisingly tender interactions between the astronaut and Laika. The rest of the cast were utilised at times, however it may have been good to include a few more of those powerful ensemble physical moments to homogenise the style of the play a little more.
It is impossible to review this show without mentioning the tech team, Carrie Cheung and Eloise Flemming. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is a challenging time to lead a tech team, working in an unfamiliar environment usually under time pressure. However, the tech and set were seamlessly and effectively integrated throughout. Perhaps our favourite component, however, was the use of diegetic lighting, with each member of the cast using their own torch. This allowed for beautiful moments, such as at the end of the piece when the cast created the stars around Peach’s vessel. This show is entirely unique and beautiful, and left us to examine how we might respond to such a cataclysmic event.
By Molly Bell and Jo Price.
Too Close to the Sun runs until the 24th of August, at 17:15, at Greenside @ Riddle’s Court (Thistle Studio).