Out Of Your Knowledge

As you walk up the stairs into the dimly Pleasance Courtyard's dimly lit auditorium, a sheaf of paper is thrust into your hands. It is a program. Inside, you learn this play is inspired by an epic 90 mile trek that the poet John Clare took from an asylum to his home town in 1841, eating grass and drinking from puddles to survive.

The playwright (Steven Waters) and performer (Patrick Morris) followed in his footsteps, and Morris weaves together their experiences with ferocious intensity. The calibre of the writing is strong, meshing styles from the rustic to the Shakespearean. Alongside this, Denise Neapolitan provides a flawless and emotive violin accompaniment which complements the action on stage.

It's almost mind-boggling then, that the play fails to work. The production is technically brilliant but it lacks soul, taking itself so seriously that it borders on the pretentious. Each word, each section, is overwrought, squeezing the life out of the piece.

The back of the program proudly lists the glittering achievements of Waters, Morris and Neapolitan, as well as Paul Bourne, the director. Everything about this production screams is designed to prove it is “proper theatre”. It's not: it's trying too hard. And after an hour of watching Morris and Waters showing off, you'll hunger for a production with real vulnerability and heart.