Tenebrae: Lessons Learnt in Darkness
Theatre Royal, Saturday, May 22
Brighton Festival installation Tenebrae: Lessons Learnt in Darkness was something of a mournful and ruminative experience.
It invited the audience to contemplate on the "shadows" cast by Covid-19 in Brighton, where other shows seek to celebrate our return to live events.
On the stage of the Theatre Royal, the audience sat amidst an atmospheric soundscape featuring the words of fifteen local writers reflecting on different ways we have coped with the lights going out over the last year.
Inspired by a ritual in which candles are gradually extinguished, the words were accompanied by lighting effects in the empty auditorium, such as warm lighting behind stained glass.
The thematic inversion of about 30 people being sat on stage looking out at an empty auditorium was effective in creating a distinctive experience, but also somewhat unsettling, for this reviewer at least.
With somewhat sparse and repetitive lighting effects employed, the installation felt like something of a missed opportunity for a more engaging visual installation.
The aim might have been for sombre background lighting, but when that is all one is directed to observe then it felt like a missed opportunity to utilise more varied or impactful lighting effects.
The observations in the soundscape were thought-provoking however, painting an evocative picture of Brighton, a normally vibrant city plunged into quiet and darkness by Covid-19.
As a shared exercise in mourning and contemplating, it struck a chord with some of the audience more than others, and it was a bold exercise in communal and collective reflection.
For me however, the titbits of poetry, cello and soprano didn’t fully coalesce or land.
Instead, I was left ruminating a little sadly on the empty theatre stalls of the last year, in what felt like an unfinished sketch of an installation with some potential, rather than something more immersive and memorable.
**
Joe Fuller
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here