Andy Jordan Productions & HTP Productions present Eutopia’s VINCENT van GOGH: Between Worlds at Assembly George Square Studios (Underground). This production was written and directed by Paola Veneto, with assistant direction by Riccardo Avati, and translated by Maggie Rose, with original music provided by Giacomo del Colle Lauri Volpi.
This production seeks to shine a light on Vincent van Gogh’s story, drawing on material from his personal letters, but also the views and beliefs of some of the people in his life, as well as commentary from individuals whose experiences of the world were influenced by Vincent’s work, as encapsulated neatly by Riccardo Avati’s art student. This work does not shy away from some of the more negative experiences and aims to provide an unflinching, multi-faceted view of Vincent and those who knew him, seemingly seeking to be both a commentary and a love letter at the same time.
Giacomo’s music acts as an effective companion to the various emotional moments within the piece without becoming too intrusive and always remaining responsive to the tone of the writing. Paola Veneto’s writing is deeply introspective and highly descriptive. Antonio Gargiulo’s performance as Vincent is inspired, appearing both intense and haunted at moments and captivating the audience with a seemingly natural charisma.
One of the most deeply impactful and revealing moments of this production relates to the character of Sien, portrayed beautifully, passionately and sorrowfully by Cloé Xhauflair, and her shifting relationship with Vincent. Not only does she express concerns and relate a story that is deeply rooted in women’s history, but she highlights how mercurial Vincent could be, with Antonio showing that beyond the genius there was indeed almost a cold narcissism.
Another highlight was the use of projections to show Vincent’s work and placing Antonio in front of those projections, so some of the work appears on Antonio’s face while he speaks, leading to the natural conclusion that there is so much of Vincent within his own work. However, the writing felt disjointed at times, with intrusions from certain characters that, in practice, do not contribute much and instead act as a distraction from the stage and the ongoing story.
Overall, this piece is beautifully written, well directed and fantastically portrayed, but its structure is something that should be addressed. The passionate, deeply moving, sensitive and unflinching portrayals deserve to remain the focus.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
