ECHO (Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen) – The Royal Court

As if a play within a play wasn’t trippy enough! In ECHO, we see dialogue being spoken as it is typed out, and witness words spoken from writing in the past. The actor of the night (Adrian Lester this time) is placed and guided around the stage, without having rehearsed or knowing what follows. The piece is a mingling of themes personal to Soleimanpour, as they often are in plays to most playwrights, but this is made overtly clear in this one. Time-travelling, distance, home, and his journey form the fabric of the play.

Nassim (Soleimanpour) video calls Adrian – face projected on a large stretched screen on the stage. Even now, I can’t discern whether this was live or pre-recorded. Anyway, I shouldn’t ruin it. So, Nassim is chatting with Adrian, but then gets sidetracked (conveniently), showing him photos and parts of his life in Berlin. The video jump cuts to “live” and back to the past, making us question which is which. Lester reads out letters addressed to him as himself from Nassim, and Nassim’s script.

The story and the way it unfolds, jagged and jarring, places you in the disorientating groundless position of one moving away from somewhere where they will not be able to return. We realise the finality and gravity of this. Throughout, there is a longing to cling to ghosts of the past – memories and people. Soleimanpour explores the intangible thread between the past, place, time, and the present. Lester, with his calm composure, gracefully navigates the scenes.

I must admit, I was disappointed that there wasn’t a greater challenge or performance demanded of the actor and felt like it was a bit of a lost opportunity, having such a skilled performer at his disposal.

Nevertheless, Lester gave a weight and roundedness to Soleimanpour’s transportive words, yet the slow pace while waiting and transitioning between sections, was not suspenseful. It felt laboured and dampened the magic of the story. The videos themselves (credit to Derek Richards) were also very slow, sometimes to an eerie, somnambulistic effect, but this could have been used in moderation. Maybe having other characters on stage would have enlivened it.

With his almost novel-like way of melting from the broad to the personal and the rich descriptions, Soleimanpour’s writing is yummy, exploring the power of presence and the nostalgia of the past, and home. Perhaps, there are more threads to tie technologically and structurally, to make the performance match the depth and skill of his words.

Showing until 27th July https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/echolift/

Reviewer: Riana Howarth

Reviewed: 17th July 2024

North West End UK Rating: