It is impossible to share my full experience of Don't Look Back without spoiling it for others.
Therefore, I will remain purposefully vague to allow future audiences the delight and surprise which I enjoyed courtesy of the remarkable dreamthinkspeak theatre company.
Inspired by the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Don't Look Back is a journey which begins and ends at the Gardner Arts Centre but takes you on a remarkable adventure in between.
The main dramatic encounter takes place among the dusty decadence of Stanmer House in Stanmer Park. Like a jigsaw puzzle, the performance is told in pieces and the audience must travel around the 18th-Century Georgian mansion gathering clues.
Travelling in groups of three, you walk through the crumbling splendour witnessing incidents, imagery and fragments of the past.
Some scenes appear frozen in time, others via video images or sculpted landscapes.
Some are heard in melancholic violin music which sweeps through the corridors like a sad memory.
Down in the eerie basement, the darkness reveals its own surprises and ghosts guide you through a network of stairways.
The emotion central to the performance is the danger of looking back or yearning for the past. In the ancient myth, Eurydice, the wife of the great singer and musician Orpheus, dies.
Heartbroken, he ventures into the Underworld, charming its inhabitants with his skill in song and the lyre to allow him to bring Eurydice back to life.
The god of the Underworld, Hades, grants his request but on one condition - as he leaves the Underworld, with her following in his footsteps, he must not look back.
But he cannot resist the temptation to do so and their chance is lost - Eurydice disappears forever The power of this performance comes not only from the pure originality and the spectacular setting but also from the perfect balance which director Tristan Sharps has struck.
There must have been a huge temptation to overload the audience but Sharps has resisted and the result is a perfect environment in which to interpret the many meanings of this myth.
A truly exciting theatrical creation which will leave you inspired and invigorated.
Tickets cost £10. Call 01273 709709 for times.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article