Silence

Synopsis

Left alone in an unfamiliar land, Kate struggles to silence the noises inside her head and begins to question her own sanity. In London, Michael listens carefully to a conversation recorded twenty years ago. Can he hear a third silent person on the tape? In a small Russian town, Irina searches desperately for her missing friend, piecing together fragments from his life.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 19 May 2011

Noise and surveillance, in Britain and Russia, loom large in this fascinating RSC production, in association with Filter, directed by David Farr. It’s a devil of a plot to follow, but the method of inter-cutting fragmented scenes, past and present action, and all done with great technical ingenuity, suggests a new way of writing plays.

The only problem is that the characters themselves are less than compelling, and by the time we have to listen to the interminable paragraphs of recollection from a retired policeman, less than witheringly well played by Patrick Romer, one’s dedication to the cause starts wavering as the one hundred minute mark approaches.

A married couple are separated: Michael (Oliver Dimsdale) is a documentary film maker piecing together police recordings of twenty years ago in Britain, while his wife Kate (Katy Stephens) is stranded in Moscow as a sponsorship agent hopelessly side-tracked by her affair with a charismatic Russian ([...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

David Baxter - 26 May 2011:

This being Filter, Silence is one of the noisiest shows around and, also typically of Filter, it teems with ideas, not all of which work. It takes time for a coherent narrative to develop and there are parts which could be dispensed with completely - the lonely Australian girl adds nothing of siginicance to the story. Normally I detest experimental theatre such as this but there is something about Filter which I find intriguing but cannot fully explain. This collaboration with the RSC also offers an opportunity to see members of the ensemble in a modern work and it is particularly rewarding to see Katy Stephens in something other than Shakespeare. She gives a remarkable performance as troubled and torn Kate and would surely be a regular at the National and in the West End if or when she relocates from Stratford. Silence is challenging and frustrating (especially the unresolved ending) but it is never forgettable....

Read more and add your own review