Far Away

Caryl Churchill‘s cryptic, elliptical new play Far Away was
originally presented in the close-up setting of the Royal Court’s Theatre
Upstairs, where its oppressive story of a world from which all certainties
had been removed was both dense and overpowering.

This vision of humanity – not to mention the collusion of other species –
hurtling towards oblivion was nightmarish and chilling. It was given a
fantastically bold production by Stephen Daldry (the Royal Court’s
former artistic director, in his first return to the theatre since directing
the screen hit Billy Elliot). For the climactic middle scene culminating in a fashion parade of bizarre hats by manacled prisoners en route to their deaths, the stage was filled with almost as many performers as there were people in the audience.

As that scene (out of three in total during the 50 minutes that the play runs)
suggests, there’s nothing easy or obvious about this experience – not
least, even trying to get tickets for it in its original run, which sold out
even before the first performance.

To bring Far Awayto a wider audience, the production has now a little incongruously and very
expensively transferred to the West End, where top price tickets are going
at £27.50, which works out at 55p per minute’s theatre. (There are cheaper
tickets on sale, too, I hasten to add, with the upper circle going at just
£10, which is actually a little cheaper than the Court was).

But it delivers more in 50 minutes than many plays deliver in two and a
half hours. What seemed baffling and obscure at the Court has grown
in resonance on the larger stage (and thanks to a repeat viewing on my part). As the
cats come in on the side of the French (and are accused of killing babies in
China), the Canadians, the Venezuelans and the mosquitoes join forces, deer
start terrorising shopping malls, mallards commit rape and take sides with
the elephants and Koreans, and the weather is reported to be on the side of
the Japanese. Yes, this is a strange, troubling and unique work that trades in
theatrical images and metaphors. It does something that theatre does achieve but
rarely: it takes you to another world. The shocking thing, however, is that it’s very close to our own.

Far Awayis superbly performed by a quartet of terrific actors, Annabelle
Seymour Julen, Linda Bassett, Kevin McKidd and
Katherine Tozer, joined by an army of extras. Everyone’s total
commitment has to be matched by the audience, but it repays the effort.

Mark Shenton