Stepping into the Victorian bathing hut, an intimate mobile theatre space run by The Nightingale team, a table is just visible in the dim glow from four hanging lights. A person sits opposite an empty chair, the pages of a script stacked neatly in front of them. You sit, and they begin.
The interaction between the two participants in this performance relay by Tim Crouch is beautifully handled. By casting the debate on Scottish independence as an argument between friends or lovers, Crouch humanises an otherwise abstract debate, allowing the political to seem personal, or petty.
The form and content of Host are perfect echoes of each other. The concept is cleverly supported by the relationship you have with the stranger opposite you. The unease of the performance situation – What will I be asked to do? How have I upset this person? – ripples between you, mirroring the distrust and displeasure of the crumbling partnership you are enacting.
There is a distinct pleasure in the immediate reversal of roles, as audience becomes performer.
This chain is strong and is definitely an experience which deserves to continue. A brief encounter with lasting power.
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