Bristol Old Vic – until 12 March 2022
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
3***
Award winning actor Jung Sun den Hollander and Kwong Loke star in David Lanes expertly written ‘What Remains of Us’, Depicting the first meeting for 50 years between a North and South Korean Father and Daughter, we witness 3 days of pure emotion as this true event is brought to the stage.
Jung Sun den Hollander as ‘Seung Ki’ is superbly cast, displaying raw emotion and encapsulating the audience perfectly. Together with Kwong Loke as her father ‘Kwan-Suk’ this brilliantly emotive piece will show you the horrors and reality of life on either side of Korea. This pairing is fantastic, with such a beautiful rapport that you could cut the tension with a knife and laugh with them in the same breath. Over the course of 3 days, we watch the pair get closer, unravelling their lives to each other and how they have both been affected by the war. David Lane and Sita Calvert-Ennals, writer and director, have been exceptionally sensitive to the subject matter and have told the story perfectly.
In the midst of the 90 minute piece, there was artistic movement, choreographed by Dan Canham. Whilst I understand what was intended to be achieved, I felt that this movement broke up what was a highly emotive performance, leaving me confused and then having to get back into the story once it was over.
This is a great piece that should definitely be watched as we remember the horrors of the past, and is exceptionally poignant with the currant climate of the world. There was also, a donation bucket at the end of the piece for Ukraine action, however I would have liked to have seen a bit more about this on social media-please take a few pennies if you can!
This compelling show is a treat, that you should try and see before it closes the borders for good.