The Wild Unfeeling World theatre review: Voyage through the storm
Casey Jay Andrews transforms Moby-Dick into an intimate, emotionally rich storytelling journey
A Casey Jay Andrews show is always a treat. She’s absolutely at home in the close quarters of the Yurt in the middle of the Courtyard Of Curiosities, where it feels like we’ve simply gathered round to shoot the breeze and share a tale or two. This one’s based on Moby-Dick but don’t let that put you off; you don’t need to have read the book (135 chapters? In this economy?) or even know the story. All you need to know is it’s not really about a whale at all (Andrews’ take is better anyway: emotion-driven and direct, without all that whiney mansplaining).
This version is about Dylan: burnt-out, out of work, out of her flat, out of options; her quest across London to reach the place she thinks of as home and the people and creatures she encounters along the way (including a three-legged cat called Ahab). Casey is our captain for this journey: kind, resolute and able to conjure whole worlds with just a handful of props. As we walk alongside Dylan, Andrews calmly tells us about seemingly unrelated things: desire paths, the number of planes in the sky, object permanence, risk assessment forms. But what she’s really doing, in a sort of Freaky Friday mind-shift, is putting us into Dylan’s shoes and making us walk with her. As Andrews soothes and calms Dylan, she soothes and calms us and reminds us that, even in our darkest moments, help is there if we can just bring ourselves to ask for it. It’s a lovely thing and a beautiful reminder of the power of simply holding out your hand.
The Wild Unfeeling World continues at the Yurt at The Courtyard of Curiosities until March 14.