All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. To a “desolate” island. Yet there is also what amounts to an extraordinary, casual communion. A woman in distress (the stage cliche for madness is knickers only) is sent away with a nurse. By Magali Mougel, Translated by Chris Campbell, Directed by Jean-Pierre Baro. The Unknown Island, The Gate Theatre Gate Theatre, 11 Pembridge Road This is an adaptation of José Saramago's inventive and beautiful short story, The Tale of The Unknown Island. makes a purchase. Jon Foster and Zubin Varla are beautifully flexible. Upstairs, the sound of tiny hands behind a bedroom door. 12450 Sycamore Station Place, Louisville, KY 40299 Add to favorites Choose theatre. Effects are playful. I was bowled over by her different dazzle as a savvy PA in Yerma. The Unknown Island is an adaptation of José Saramago's 'The Tale of The Unknown Island' – a story about stories. I don’t. This is a very smart show which turns all of us watching into a community with a brilliant ensemble - Jon Foster, Hannah Ringham, Thalissa Teixeira and Zubin Varla who share out the storytelling and the parts in this brief hour that tosses us on the waves of the imagination and contemplate a different future.”, “A beautiful, inventive and rebellious adventure story about dreaming of the impossible and trying to cross the vast distances between ourselves and each other.”. Because somewhere out there, there must be something else. The Globe? You want to go in search of an unknown island. “There is a touch of Jackanory for grown-ups about this adaptation of Jose Saramago’s story about an explorer in search of a new world. Why not to one that might cheer her up? The Unknown Island is a beautiful, inventive and rebellious adventure story about dreaming of the impossible and trying to cross the vast distances between ourselves and each other. What does Front Row co-presenter Giles Coren say? Suzy Storck is the debut UK production of Jean-Pierre Baro, one of the most exciting new artists in French theatre, that dares to ask the question: what happens when you don’t want children – and you already have them? Hannah Ringham, whom I’ve had occasion to admire at Shunt and in other unorthodox theatre, brings her extraordinary quality to the stage. Running time: 75 minutes Suggested age guidance: 14+. Based on Nobel prize-winning novelist Jose Saramago’s short story, The Tale of the Unknown Island, adapted for the stage by Ellen McDougall and Clare Slater. Miasma made explicit. After the Rehearsal and Persona both have actors as central characters, and dissolving identity as their theme. In my work as a set and costume designer, I try to reimagine the world of theatre but also the world beyond those walls. This could easily have become a static, finger-wagging allegory. It’s an adaptation of … Visceral uncertainty rendered with Scandinavian good taste. Based on Nobel prize-winning novelist Jose Saramago’s short story, The Tale of the Unknown Island, adapted for the stage by Ellen McDougall and Clare Slater.Running Time: 55 minsSuitable for all ages. -. And still the sun will just not set. The smell of an animal that isn’t quite yet dead. By using this website you agree to our. The Unknown Island is a beautiful, inventive and rebellious adventure story about dreaming of the impossible and trying to cross the vast distances between ourselves and each other. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set. It features an obstructive king, a man who wants to set sail in search of an unknown island and a cleaning woman who goes through the Door of Decisions to join him on a dark sea. The catch in her voice and her ease of gesture almost disguise the blaze of her attention. But last week he was beating the anti-expert drum in response to BBC2’s new version of Radio 4’s Front Row. Myself, I’m not keen on abolishing critics. Told in the manner of a fairytale, it speaks of new starts, new love and the need for human beings to face out towards the world. One of my favourite theatres, too. Her children. The cast are head to foot in shades of scarlet, vermilion, crimson. For further information visit the theatre’s website here. GO. And these chaps avoided the usual approach to theatre-bashing. You want to go in search of an unknown island.Because somewhere out there, there must be something else.Because you want to find out who you are when you are there. The Unknown Island is at the Gate theatre, London, until 8 October. Based on Nobel prize-winning novelist Jose Saramago’s short story, The Tale of the Unknown Island, adapted for the stage by Ellen McDougall and Clare Slater. Xscape Theatres Howell 14. Rosie Elnile’s design encloses the theatre in a bubble of blue. At a pitch-black moment in a psychiatric encounter, the song Happiness blares out from a nurse’s record player. Gate Theatre11 Pembridge RoadNotting Hill GateLondon W11 3HQ, The Gate Theatre Company is a company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales No. McDougall and Clare Slater have adapted a short story by the Portuguese writer José Saramago. What is this unknown island you want to go in search of? I can’t stand it anymore. It's a story about getting stuck, about trying to escape, about shooting for the moon, about going further than the furthest thing. Balloon ducks and rabbits are sent bouncing across the boards. A shower of rain is administered from a watering can. Does that stricture apply to writing about painting, music and food? The radio buzzes. The Unknown Island is available to view on the Gate Theatre’s YouTube Channel from 22 nd April until 30 th June 2020. Van Hove translates them with moody beauty. 1495543 – Charity No. • The Unknown Island is at the Gate theatre, London, until 8 October This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small … In The Unknown Island, you could pretty much deduce the action by watching her eyes. A glass of wine. Star ratings (out of 5)The Unknown Island ★★★★After the Rehearsal/Persona ★★★, • The Unknown Island is at the Gate theatre, London, until 8 October. Marieke Heebink and Gijs Scholten van Aschat in After the Rehearsal. There is talk of chasms, reality and fakeness but – despite phenomenal, raging performances in both productions by Marieke Heebink and Gaite Jansen – any sense of danger is aestheticised out of existence. I want to challenge Front Row’s Nikki Bedi only on two comments. It is red, the only other colour on stage. But, oh, what an imaginative production can do. In front of them sits a miniature galleon. This is Ellen McDougall’s first production as artistic director of the Gate. Who’d have thought that David Mitchell was a Goveist? It is a demonstration of the play’s creed: “If you don’t step outside yourself you’ll never discover who you are.” As is the lovely closing moment when, high above the stage, a small window clicks open – and gives us a glimpse of the world beyond the theatre. This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and And does so by suggesting that they are courageously going against the flow. All is visually memorable – and very clearly managed. What takes place on stage is not so much action as narration. The shifts are so tactful that it’s hard to believe an interior designer is not squinting at a colour chart. Three. Ivo van Hove’s latest reinventions of movies for the stage – the last of his Toneelgroep Amsterdam shows at the Barbican – are of thunderous Ingmar Bergman films. That makes her an enticing prospect at the tiny Gate theatre, and her opening salvo, The Unknown Island, looks a lot like a manifesto. The Unknown Island is a beautiful, inventive and rebellious adventure story about dreaming of the impossible and trying to cross the vast distances between ourselves and each other.