The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Synopsis

Drama about a Borstal boy, set in 50's Nottingham. A long distance race. Real time. Follow one runner, alone with his thoughts. Colin is defiant. A young rebel, inhabiting the no-man's land of detention centres and young offenders' institutes, as his steady running rhythm transports him over a harsh, frost-bitten earth.

Our Review:

Wilf Arasaratnam - 16 October 2012

In the last couple of years, two things have shaken the nation: the riots in London and the hosting of the 2012 Olympics. This staging of the classic Alan Sillitoe short story and subsequent film relocates the setting from 1950s Nottingham to modern day London and draws on these recent events to involve the audience.

Much of the credit for this immersive theatrical experience should be given to the production and stage management crew who create a subtly powerful staging. Rather than distract or hide behind the cast's performance, various elements of stagecraft become like another hidden member of the cast lifting this performance. Most of the play is delivered in monologue by Elliot Barnes-Worrell who plays the long-distance runner Colin Smith while running on a specially constructed eight-metre treadmill that is embedded in the floor of the stage.

While Smith delivers his monologue, he recollects his past and the translucent cloth b...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

No reviews yet

Click here to add your review