• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides
  • Ed Fringe

Father (Vader) at Barbican Theatre

January 31, 2019 by Alex Wood Leave a Comment

Review of: Father (Vader) at Barbican Theatre

Reviewed by: Alex Wood
Rating:
5
On January 31, 2019
Last modified:January 31, 2019

Summary:

A brilliant centrepiece to this year's London International Mime Festival

More Details

Man oh man.

Sometimes when you head to the Barbican Theatre you just get the feeling that British theatre should pack up and go home. Belgian company Peeping Tom is definitely responsible for those sorts of feelings.

Returning to the Barbican following last year’s Mother (which, in a twist, is the second part in a trilogy about family, with Father (Vader) being the first part) this masterclass in physical theatre is a paternalistic examination of relationships and its various intricacies set entirely in an old person’s home.

Admittedly I didn’t see Mother or any of Peeping Tom’s other shows, so reviewing this may sort of feel like watching The Phantom Menace without knowing what a lightsaber is. But you’ve got to start somewhere.

Spread over 75 minutes, this is ethereal, haunting stuff. Under the direction of Franck Chartier, performers young and old flicker both on and off the stage and in and out of lucidity. Old age and senility become childishness in an instant – visiting family members transform into home residents. Metamorphosis in slow motion, it feels like simulated assimilation – attendants, dark-haired and hunched over, appear on the stage from some concealed entrance, shuffling forwards like something out of The Ring. At one point someone crawls off stage through a piano.

These things might have sounded farcical, and indeed to some audience members it was utterly hysterical, but for me it just felt…sad. As abstract as the show can be it’s also intensely relevant, in countries like the UK where the population pyramids are starting to be top-heavy.

 

Photo by Oleg Degtiarov

There might be a story arc involving an old man, Leo, who is abandoned by his son in a care home, but it’s a flimsy, a paltry attempt to knit together what is essentially a disparate sequence of scenes. That’s the irony – this is a care home with no care. If anything it’s defined by its carelessness. Another moment sees an attendant threatening to kill a patient, and a massive broom is swung wildly across the audiences.

Yannick Willox does some beautifully subtle sound mixing, while Amber Vandenhoeck’s set, at first simplistic, houses all manner of surprises. Physically the cast do a marvellous trick of shifting between stiffness and utter flimsiness – bodies behaving badly.

Sometimes surrealism can be the most cutting of all art forms. The nonsense on stage can reflect the nonsense outside the walls of a venue. Will there come a day when we are simply a nation of carers and those needing care? And will there be times when two generations find themselves residing side by side in the same drab, mildew-stained homes?

Probably. Maybe life and the afterlife, purgatorial and surreal, will just start to blend into one another, and that’s what Peeping Tom is going for. Maybe. Perhaps I’m just rambling, in awe of an astounding, cerebral production. Perhaps.

I can’t wait to see what the third part, Kind, has in store.

Alex Wood

Author: Alex Wood

Alex is the former reviews editor at Theatre Bubble, but since changing position now contributes occasionally. He has been writing reviews for a number of years, as well as seeing his own shows performed. He has produced and marketed a number of performances at venues in London, Oxford, Edinburgh, including the world premiere of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke.

Filed Under: Review

Join the discussion Cancel reply

NEWS / Thick ‘n’ Fast announce new show General Secretary

Who run the world? A satirically comic journey through power and diplomacy as two highly unqualified women are suddenly landed [Read More]

NEWS / Digital Theatre & Arts Micro Festival Living Roots

Hot in the heels of the debut Living Record Festival in January-February 2021, the Living Roots Festival launches 5th April. [Read More]

Hands Face & Empty Space / Abel Law on becoming a musical theatre student during COVID

On the 17th March, it will be exactly one year since UK theatre came to an overnight standstill. Every day [Read More]

Hands Face & Empty Space / Vicki Amedume on taking time to think, talk and support

On the 17th March, it will be exactly one year since UK theatre came to an overnight standstill. Every day [Read More]

Hands Face & Empty Space / Ravelle-Sadé Fairman on the pandemic opening opportunities

On the 17th March, it will be exactly one year since UK theatre came to an overnight standstill. Every day [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Reality TV Auditions
  • Katy Owen: LAMDA Audition (First Round)
  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • Maybe Actors Shouldn't Get Paid (or any other creatives)
  • Katy Owen: Auditioning for Oxford School of Drama
  • Writing the Perfect Press Release
  • My Low Pay/No Pay Meeting With Equity
  • Emily Beecher on being a reluctant producer and unproducer
  • Supporting Collaborative and Profit Share Theatre
  • Constellations- Bristol Old Vic
  • Alex Wood

    Alex Wood
    Contributor

  • January 31st, 2019
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Facebook5TweetLinkedInEmail

    Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2021 · Blue Pie Media

    Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

    Email sent!