A story written as a poem by performer Paul Tinto (Guilt, King Lear, Outlander, The Last Post). An epic, complex poem no less, mining for the roots of how in heaven’s name the planet’s most dominant inhabitants have driven it into the state it’s in in 2024. Running to 156 pages in a spanking hardback it’s available for purchase after the show, a boon, since plenty bears re-reading over a pint. Whereupon a couple of lines rise from the text, striking at the heart of the endeavour, Lust telling us we live in a world ‘where saints share the streets with the damned’. Why else would ‘Hate’, the bastard son of ‘Fear’ exerts such an influence on proceedings?
Tinto stalks the stage, drawing us into intimacy, then, propelled by Abbott’s playing, beating us back into our seats with raw tirades. Directed by Bryony Shanahan (joint artistic director of The Royal Exchange, Manchester parish, until 2023) with help from esteemed music luminary Louis Abbott of Admiral Fallow fame (and the fabulous production from March this year ‘A Giant On The Bridge’) the story covers more elements of the human condition than one can shake a stick at. Making it work on stage as a one-person show is a mighty task, but, nota bene, this is ‘work-in-progress’, and it’s a privilege for those present. How many would have loved to have been present at rehearsals (or soundchecks) of favourite bands or shows; in modern times such access is charged for as a loyal fan ‘extra’.
Understandably, some sections flow (Hate’s withering schoolyard commentary covering almost every human condition, from aspiration and aggression to resistance and violence) and some drift. Also, so good are Louis Abbott’s contributions that they sometimes distract but on the basis of tonight, it’ll be worth seeing again when formally ‘ready’, especially to claim you were there on the journey.
2024 finds us in a more polarised world of unimaginable wealth and unimaginable poverty, with hate thriving, presumably because Truth is so often uncomfortable, unpalatable and unyielding. This is dense, complex stuff, requiring digestion and consideration, tricky to deliver inside 60 minutes and as Tinto points out at the end, it’s probably enough to be dealing with on a school-night, but go and buy the book – we did.
Reviewer: Roger Jacobs
Reviewed: 17th December 2024
North West End UK Rating: Work in Progress