Oh. My. God.
I have just returned from the theatre and I am a hot mess. I don’t think I’ve
ever been moved to tears as much as this whilst watching a play.
‘The Man who
fell to pieces’ is a play about depression. It is emotional, touching, raw and
powerful. Somehow, it also manages to be funny.
We are only
ten minutes into the show and already the tears are running down my cheeks. It’s
the part when John, who is having difficulties communicating his feelings to
his fiancé Caroline, share a tender dance. I can feel the pain between them.
The music, beautifully composed by Katie Richardson, adds to the emotion,
making the atmosphere in the theatre palpable. I can see several audience
members hastily trying to wipe a tear from their eyes.
I meanwhile,
am a hot mess. The tears are flowing effortlessly and I’m completely absorbed
in this wonderful play.
All four
actors are incredible, the music is beautiful and the set is clever. The
physical theatre, the dance and the words that this production uses to describe
depression are very cleverly put together.
And did I
mention the humour? How can the tears be tripping you one minute, and the next
you’re laughing out loud.
One in four
suffer from depression. Surely that means that almost everyone is affected by
it – if not directly themselves, than by a family member or loved one.
Having
suffered from depression myself, maybe this is why this play resonates so
powerfully with me. Because how can you explain what’s going on in your head when
on the outside, you appear fine?
That’s why
the physical theatre and dance worked so well with this show. The framed pictures
of him collapsing represents his mind collapsing. The bag of bits on the
kitchen table a metaphor for his scattered mind.
But let’s
not forget that humour, the typists in the telesales office, with their pretend
typing and their ridiculous masks. The overbearing boss with his head inside an
expanding picture-frame.
When we’re
hearing about the writer, how he walked those streets for miles, how he felt
like if he didn’t stop walking, he would surely jump, his courage and bravery
astounded me. The tears were back. How can someone use such incredible pain,
pain that we normally hush hush away, and create something so beautiful?
Something that will surely touch many people’s lives.
Afterwards,
when the lights had gone up, the atmosphere in the theatre was visible. It was
as if people couldn’t move, as if they needed to sit for a while and digest
what they had just seen. People sat on, people talked, people hugged. There was
a shared connection.
I am truly privileged
to have watched this production.
I wonder if
this will return for a third time. I wonder if it will go on tour around UK and
Ireland.
I do hope
others get to experience this very special piece of theatre.
