REVIEW: THE SUN, THE MOUNTAIN AND ME by Jack Fairey at Brockley Jack Theatre 18 - 29 April 2023

‘… excellent piece of story-telling, comprehensively envisioned and engagingly told, with some drop-dead gorgeous technical elements’ ★★★★

Jack Fairey has written and directed, and then (due to the performer’s indisposition) also acted, this one-person show, a piece of direct address story-telling that interweaves the legend of Icarus, the decision of an Italian p.o.w. to escape his prison-camp, climb Mount Kenya, and then return to camp, with the mental turbulence of a painter suffering depression and manic episodes.

The premise of this piece was quite complex, but Jack Fairey navigated the complexity fluently, used the simple but telling stage-design really well, and brought home the emotional climax so it was felt and dramatically satisfying. He utilised Poor Theatre performance philosophy to great effect, and with considerable emotional impact. Presumably his assistant director deserves recognition for the very effective blocking, since Mr. Fairey was not the entire production, just most of it.

The Brockley Jack is becoming a centre of excellence for technical design. This piece had a stage and lighting design by Joe Malyan that was revelatory. A set made up of cardboard boxes and domestic items came alive with a sympathetic lighting design that made it sing. Even more impressively, as the painter-narrator becomes more manic, the lighting employed beautiful colour washes to enhance the emotional content. The design was straightforward and unflashy, but totally engaged with the dramatic content, always sympathetic, and mood- generating. Everything a good lighting design should do, in a tiny space, with economic use of LED lanterns. An additional nod to the board operator, who cued the lighting changes with enormous precision and taste.

Jack Fairey would, I’m sure, have preferred a bit of assistance from an actor rather than taking on so many roles, and there may have been more precision on stage with a director’s eye, but this was an excellent piece of story-telling, comprehensively envisioned and engagingly told, with some drop-dead gorgeous technical elements.

THE SUN, THE MOUNTAIN AND ME by Jack Fairey/Produced by Bedivere Arts at Brockley Jack Theatre 18 - 29 April 2023

Creative Team:

Written and directed by Jack Fairey

Associate Director: Laura Hannawin

Set and Lighting Designer: Joe Malyan

Composer: George Jennings

Stage Manager: Imogen Brown

Produced by Bedivere Arts

Cast: 

Jack Fairey as Arthur

Reviewed by Chris Lilly