Joining writer and performer Jeremy Stockwell for the evening, is Alan Watts…in his head, anyway. The free-talking, free-thinking, hippie philosopher drifts in and out of Stockwell’s on-stage consciousness, to share life’s questions, but does he have the answers? And is the glass half full or half empty?
For those of you who do not know Alan Watts (and I was one of those), he was born in 1915 in Kent, and at an early age explored the question of consciousness, exploring it in his own mind, which was at odds with the norm. He stood out as being different, not really fitting in with the standard beliefs of his parents and peers. After declaring himself a Buddhist, his exploration of religion, free-love, and philosophical ideas as a school boy, planted the seed in his mind, which led him to writing books such as The Spirit of Zen, The Way of Zen, The Book on Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, and The Wisdom of Insecurity.
There is a feeling of Stockwell exploring imagined conversations with Watts, and improvising sections of the play to see where they will lead. There is no fourth wall, the audience are invited to participate in sections of the play if they so wish, but it is Stockwell’s naturally charming personality, and stage presence that welcomes you into this environment of experimentation. Stockwell’s love of cabaret serves him well, easily entertaining his audience with anecdotes about his own life, and that of Alan Watts, with a light directorial touch from Terry Johnson in the director’s chair.
Is Alan Watts a likeable character? He lived life the way he chose to live it, and one could argue, that it was at the expense of other people’s happiness sometimes, but the interesting thing about going along to the preview of this work-in-progress play, is that you can watch the play develop, and decide for yourself whether Watts is likeable. One cannot argue that Watts is not interesting, his life as a philosopher meant that he posed many questions on many subjects, and he was never destined to be a follower. But to educate yourself about Watts from a learned source, and to be charmingly entertained, I suggest you go along to The Cockpit to find out about Alan Watts for yourself.
To book tickets for ‘Out of My Head: Alan Watts Is Alive and Well…Dead’, go to – https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/out_of_my_head, but hurry, as the run ends on the 19th April. If you cannot make the preview and you are heading up to Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year, go along to The Pleasance Courtyard to take a look at the full production.
Previewer: Caroline Worswick
Previewed on: 16th April 2025