Reviews

Daniel Hit by a Train

| Off-West End |

4 March 2010

“REGARD THE DRUM”, booms our
narrator before hitting it to signify another name ticked off his roll-call of
death in Daniel Hit by a Train, the second installment in Lone Twin’s The
Catastrophe Trilogy.

The show re-enacts the deaths
of 53 people who died in acts of heroism in Victorian London. Pretty morbid
stuff, but the piece deals with each loss so matter-of-factly there’s little
chance to get maudlin. “Who died drowning?’’ asks the narrator. A show of hands
goes up. “I did”, says a cast member, stepping forward. “This is me drowning.”
They go limp, there’s a moment’s pause and the drum sounds. Next.

This borderline facetious
rendering of tragedy just about works. There’s one moment where cast member Guy Dartnell looks as if he might be just about to
push the boundaries of taste a bit too far with an impersonation of an
eight-year-old boy on fire, but thankfully he simply looks at the audience for
a pregnant pause.

Ten deaths in and the format starts to wear however. I’m beginning to have
unpleasant hopes that a train will come along to finish off all the 43
remaining unfortunates. Life’s short, death is unexpected, there’s redemption
in selfless acts, however pointless – I get it.

But
what saves the production are its moments of music hall theatricality. Dancing
and singing somehow lend themselves to this grim treatment of mortality and
seem in keeping with the spirit of Victoriana entertainment. Particularly well
done is the piece about the music hall performer whose skirt catches fire. The
cast also demonstrate they are adept at evoking almost any situation with
masterful movements and mime.

Although this particular show
may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s still a pleasure to watch Lone Twin at
the top of their game.

– Kathleen Hall