Hannah Moss came up with So It Goes in response to her father’s death in 2007. It took her a number of years to begin to come to terms with his death, and talking about it was difficult, so the notion of expressing her feelings without words was a welcome one. With her friend David Ralfe (together they are the theatre company On The Run), she began to explore the idea of wordless communication to tell her story, and to share her experience of grief and loss with her audience.

The North Wall Theatre is a good-sized theatre for So It Goes. Much of what is communicated throughout the performance is through the medium of A4 whiteboards, and from about ten rows back I could just comfortably see it. The intimacy of the setting is also appropriate for the subject matter, which often requires a respectful silence, hard to achieve with a larger audience.

Hannah and David have a superb on-stage relationship (I’m sure their off-stage one is also fine, but I can’t really speak for that). They wordlessly move around each other, conveying a great deal with a series of props, cardboard signs, and, of course, the whiteboards, on which they scribble to speak to each other and the audience. Dave’s role switches back and forth between Hannah’s dad and mum, creating a blend of humour and pathos which works well.

It’s difficult to review a performance with such a personal approach. On occasion, the play felt a little maudlin and overwrought, but everyone deals with grief differently, and perhaps a little more humour (which in my opinion would have counter-balanced the performance slightly better) would have ruined it for another audience member.

All in all, I quite enjoyed this production, particularly the creativity and innovation of the set and props, but I’m not sure I would rush back to see it again.   ★★★☆☆   @BookingAround   24/04/15