Sue Townsend Theatre Leicester – Wednesday 21st June 2023
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
4****
Enlightenment revolves around the disappearance of Adam, a 20-year-old backpacker who has gone missing for 6 months since the Jakarta bombings, and the attempts by his mother Lia, stepfather Nick and grandfather Gordon to find out what has happened to him. Becoming increasingly desperate, they employ the services of a psychic and a television documentary maker. This leads to Adam being tracked down in a Thai hospital and then being immediately flown to the UK, turning their world upside down and causing them to question all that they took for granted. Is everything really as it seems?
Kathryn Marper was a powerful central figure as Lia, a mother on a roller coaster of emotions, struggling to hold on to hope and keep the shadows at bay. On a tireless search for answers and need to be with her son, pulling herself back from the edge of the gruesome possibilities. She balanced light and dark beautifully. Harrison Deaves as Nick her husband was superb in playing both cynic and sinking stepfather as he tried to ground his wife, return to normality, protect the family from exposure and exploitation and deal with his own emotions. Hayden Sterland was magnificent as Gordon, grandfather, statesman and a bit of a lothario. He brought gravitas and humour to the role. Abby Ferguson as Joanna the media hack was wonderfully hammed up, white stilettos and all, it was interesting to see how she transitioned in the play, a definite shift. Isha Gilbert as Joyce the clairvoyant provided some comic relief in the tense tale. Taiven Allen as Adam was schizophrenically sinister, jumping from being childlike to inappropriately adult in a Machiavellian moment.
Director Kieran Vyas sustains the tension throughout both acts by using the bare stage and a screen with projected images on it, moving his cast around freely and bringing in back story. The wall projections were a wonderful part of the design, showing time passing, when day turned to night, via a window, as well as seeing projections of Adam as a baby with Lia interacting with him to show their bond. We also saw how Lia got rid of more and more of her possessions by the projected artwork and books disappearing. It was also brilliant how a projected painting was brought onto stage in real format. Luke Davies and Matthew Trott did an excellent job with design and Lighting.
For all the superb acting, Enlightenment is dialogue heavy and could have benefited from some quieter moments to show the gnawing grief for all involved with the absence and not knowing. The first act largely sets the foundations as the characters discus absence, loss and uncertainty. The action steps up a gear when Adam is seemingly found. Emotional honesty is lost in all the words and theories about loss and tales of western entitlement, there are many and none fleshed out enough for them to land and work effectively, so Act one feels drawn out and Act two feels rushed.
Its only in Act Two that we meet Adam, and the real ‘drama’ begins. Adam, as it turns out is not actually Adam, but a young man of a similar age who has lost his memory. He has all of Adams’ documents but no answers. Lia and a reluctant Nick take this ‘cuckoo’ in, and they slowly discover his darker side. This shift is a gamechanger for everyone, including the audience, the play suddenly moves from a ‘pull at the heart strings melodrama’ and becomes a ‘sinister thriller’.
Enlightenment is well performed, and the production value was spot on, the only issue is, ultimately, it’s a very odd play and not very plausible. Even with all the desperation, the choices the couple make are quite bizarre. The dialogue heavy, confused agenda biased plot loses its way. Unfortunately, this is why it’s only a four-star review, otherwise the great cast were a breath of fresh air to watch. Bravo to these brave new wonders.