I’ve said many time before that I believe theatre should be challenging, experimental and exciting. As far as The Rep is concerned, from my experiences, the general rule of thumb is that The House is commercial and often uninspired, but The Door and The Studio is where the real magic can happen. And once again this has rung true.
The Capital by Stan’s Café is an experimental work that revolves around an unnamed capital city, and the lives of people within it. Covering a variety of people from all walks of life, we see various perspectives on the world, as well as a glimpse into the inner workings of the beast through a series of loosely connected silent vignettes, all performed on two travellators like a drug- fuelled adaptation of The Generation Game.
With its original and creative staging and fast-paced format, The Capital is exactly the kind of theatre that should feature in this country. Despite no audible words being uttered, every character is distinct, with actors multi-rolling moment to moment. The story may jump about, but each scene is self-contained and shows us snapshots of this vibrant but unsettling dystopia, eerily reminiscent of our own world.
The staggering amount of props, and the precise positions of them, must have been a nightmare to choreograph, but all the effort has paid off. The movement of people and props set the scene perfectly: we know when we’re on a train, in a flat, a hospital, and so on. And as the scenes progress, the creativity crescendos, always finding new ways to surprise us.
There are some moments that could be refined or tightened, such as the lengthy opening consisting of chairs, chairs and more chairs. But these issues could easily be ironed out like creases in a new shirt. What is presented to us is fresh, which cannot be said for a large number of shows across the country.
Not everyone will like this kind of theatre, but that’s okay. If we watch nothing but what Howard Barker would call “The Humanist Theatre” – that is theatre which affirms what the audience knows, and as such is one-dimensional – how will the important discussions and innovations brought about by theatre continue? It’s okay to feel challenged, it’s okay to experiment, and we need more of this!
★★★★☆ Jeremy Ulster 26th October 2018
