RELIC – Coronet Theatre

RELIC suggests in its blurb that it is about “what survives from the past. A thing left behind, be it a memory, an object, a language or being”. On stage, we are treated to a barrage of images, sequences, and absurdist stand up and cabaret style performances from a strange figure: initially in just heels and a kind of bloated, amorphous body suit, this grotesque mannequin transforms and mutates throughout the performance, taking on several forms that are barely, but not entirely un-human. It’s a strange show.

At the heart of the piece is Euripides Laskaridis’ incredible performance which is itself a serious feat. Purely on a physical level, it demands a great deal of endurance and an incredible physical awareness of the body on stage. But considering he is also the director and set designer, it is also an impressive feat of imagination and creativity. On one level, this central performance is worth going for alone; as the slightly stunned person sitting next to me said when the lights came up: ‘How does someone even think of something like this!!’

There are many images in RELIC that are genuinely electrifying. The best for the play’s themes comes when the figure is lying next to the head of an ancient Greek statue. It gnaws on a piece of rubble like a bone before opening a laptop, placing it in front of the head, and cosying up next to it, like a couple relaxing after a long day. It is a bizarre moment, but the introduction of the laptop into a piece of theatre that until that point is so deeply strange, produces an instant injection of laughter (this show is surprisingly funny), and a fantastic combination of ‘relics’ from different moments of life on this planet.

These images combine to make the central figure a funny, oddly sympathetic, and simultaneously truly disturbing presence, especially when they come downstage, closer to you, within touching distance. It feels at times like being in a room with an until-now caged animal, or some sort of alien presenting to you what it might have been like to be human.

The sound and light design are of particular note, blending high and low tech methods to great effect. Some lighting moments are triggered on stage by switches hidden in wigs or simply produced through hand-held lights. Some of the show’s sound comes from Laskaridis simply treading on fun snaps. But Kostas Michopoulos’ sound and Eliza Alexandropoulou’s lighting are full of very neat tricks. At the start of the play Laskaridis’ high heels trigger strange ringing sounds with every step they take, and the hammering of a nail into a wall is amplified to a strange, eerie effect.

All this said, when I left the theatre, I found myself fascinated, intrigued, but not fully grabbed by the piece. This is not to say that the work was not excellent. Many of its images were deeply resonant, but for some reason the work did not really touch or transform me, which for a piece of theatre/performance art, remains, at least in my eyes, the essential goal.

I will not pretend that this is a piece of theatre everyone will enjoy. But frankly, it is a good deal more exciting than a great many plays that get programmed with a great deal more frequency. Speaking personally, it is a great pleasure to see a show like RELIC, in all its madness, that at least does not look like another show where the table is nailed down, the chairs are nailed down, and even the ashtrays are nailed down. I urge people to see this show. It runs at only 40 minutes in a truly beautiful theatre and will present you with something genuinely out of the ordinary. It may not be perfect, it may not be Your Cup Of Tea, but it is serious, detailed, and powerful work.

Reviewer: Ralph Jeffreys

Reviewed: 2nd April 2025

North West End UK Rating: