I love experimental abstract theatre. I love plots that may seem nonsensical, yet promote a hidden meaning, prompting audiences to work harder to find the message in the deep. Therefore, I suppose it’s no surprise that I adored Bog Body, Itchy Feet’s surrealist story of Petra, who marries a preserved Iron Age body named the Lindow Man.
At first, this script seems like a bizarre comedy – Jen Tucker’s text immediately captivates as Petra urges us, “don’t judge me”, explaining her absurd marital situation. Yet what follows is a highly moving exploration of grief. The Lindow Man’s shift into a symbol of natural preservation, used by Petra to stay close to her dead sister, is fascinating. As is his changing role throughout – he becomes a symbol of Petra’s own suicidal desires, as well as the wider idea of transcending time to find souls. Of course, to reach this point requires hard work from the audience. Yet is that not what theatre should be about? Challenging us, forcing us to think.
Even if, like me, it takes a little time for you to reach this understanding, Tucker’s script is so beautifully poetic that the atmosphere of passion and grieving is simply inescapable. That’s only made even clearer by the staggering performance of Maddie White. White is so awkward and personable at the start of the show that we immediately connect and feel sympathy for this character, despite their extremely strange love. There is a constant layer of underlying emotion in White’s presentation, consistently suggesting she is a character deep in grieving, similarly encouraging sympathy.
I left the theatre feeling moved, confused, and ultimately a little purposeless – that we are truly but one tiny speck of dust in an infinite universe. How remarkable that such a tiny piece of theatre can trigger such huge thoughts.
