Reykjavik – Albany Theatre Deptford, London

Director & Writer – Jonathan Young

Reviewer- Alexei Edwards

The Public Reviews Rating:

There have always been theatre companies that seek to challenge the boundaries of convention and the role the audience plays in performance and Reykjavik, the play I witnessed this evening, was a truly an immersive experience where the fourth wall was demolished and the lines between audience and performer were blurred.

The play boasted a hugely impressive creative team that included the co director of much lauded Theatre Company, theatre o; Hugo Spiers- a neuroscientist and Lucinka Eisler, co-director of Inspector Sands Theatre Company.

Reykjavik was conceived and written by Jonathan Young, founder of Shams and the main performer in this wonderfully visceral piece of theatre. Shams have been nominated for an Edinburgh Total Theatre award on 2 occasions with this particular piece receiving a nomination last year’s festival. Part of Shams mission statement is to make ‘playful, imaginative and richly layered work which crosses genres, pushes forms and challenges perceptions of what theatre can do’ and this particular piece is a testament to that statement.

Before entry to the performance space, the audience are asked to put on white overalls which inevitably brought about nervous giggling and questioning remarks which I felt was an ideal preparation with what was to follow. The audience are then led in to the performance space that becomes a plethora of different scenarios you become completely immersed in and are led on a journey by Jonathan Young where he comes to terms with a significant series of events that happened to him a decade ago. We share his anxieties, his happiness, his loss and become an active part in this journey through the labyrinth of his memory.

At first there is a feeling of alienation in the audience; perhaps due the loss of your visual identity communicated by clothes, and also with the feeling that this is unlike anything you have seen, or felt, before.

I found this to be a deeply cerebral piece, with moments that leave you feeling introspective, turning inward and using the themes and ideas as a stimulus to apply to yourself. I also found myself smiling a lot, I felt good- there was an atmosphere of creativity that we were all privy to and that spread throughout the group. There were so many layers to explore in the performance and I feel that this play would bring about a different reaction each time you watch it. Owing to the interactivity, the piece feels living and becomes emotive in a way I have not experienced when I have watched theatre in the traditional sense.

Shams have managed to create a piece of theatre where we, the audience, are asked to be creators, asked to invest our imagination and creative faculties, which makes for an incredibly rewarding experience.