The Light House is playing at Park Theatre in Finsbury Park from the 2nd to the 13th of April. Writer and Performer, Alys Williams’ stylish and impactful play shines a heart-rending light onto the sensitive topic of being a partner to someone who is suicidal.
The tone is set early on that this is going to be a show with audience participation and that we, the viewers, are not going to be passively listening and watching everything unfold but that we are all in it together, connected and present within the play. This, of course, strikes fear into your average audience member but the skilful and welcoming manner in which Williams charms us into getting involved makes us feel safe and consistently brings a lot of laughs. This disarming quality and willingness to be vulnerable makes her mesmerising from start to finish.
From the off, the production swells with lyricism, drawing beautifully on an analogy of what happens at sea when someone goes overboard; the attempts to bring that person back to safety and ultimately provide rescue in the form of a light house. I worried that it was going to be clumsily referenced throughout but credit to Williams’ succinct writing and the crisp and creative direction from Andrea Heaton, The Light House takes us both joyfully and emotionally through the playful puddles, serene lakes, battering rain and ultimately crashing waves of the issue of suicide. It pulls no punches, is full of heart and shows us a woman at her most helpless, most vulnerable and begging for help from anywhere she can get it.
There is a palpable slickness to the show. Excellent aesthetic choices that serve the story well. Matthew Carnazza’s lighting design deserves singling out as particularly impressive; subtly and skilfully complimenting the piece.
A show that delicately balances the light with the dark and is crafted from top to bottom with artistry, confidence and packs a huge emotional punch, The Light House is an important, impactful and outstanding play.
This production is also showing as part of a Park Theatre double bill: Make Mine a Double! Twinned with the production Sun Bear, also reviewed by Theatre Weekly here.
