If you could choose one memory from your life to relive over and over again for eternity, what would it be?
That is the question facing the characters in the bold physical theatre piece, 100, which kicked off its three-night stay at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen last night.
The performance, from Present Tense Productions, was intriguing from the moment it began, throwing the audience – along with the characters – right in at the deep end.
As the story unfolds, each of the production’s five performers re-enact powerful and poignant stories while their characters try to capture the perfect memory to last for their eternity.
It is in these reenactments that the performances are at their strongest. With just a bare set it is at first hard to imagine how the production is going to be able to take the audience through these precious moments.
But the very clever and imaginative use of props such as white sticks and boxes, stunning lighting, plus the bodies of the actors themselves, allowed these memories to come alive. A scene set in a children’s play park was a particular favourite of mine, transporting me away from the Lemon Tree and into these people’s lives.
Actors Lisa Cameron, Linny Casson, Claire Bleasdale, Jamie Drummond and Press and Journal’s feature writer Andrew Youngson – with director Wendy Smith at the helm – do a fantastic job of packing so much into such a short space of time. Their performances are touching and thought-provoking.
The show is just under an hour long but it is one you will think about long after you leave. 100 runs until Friday, February 13.