As Far As We Know theatre review: Intense and committed
A multi-sensory tale that packs a lot into its runtime
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This intense piece of multi-sensory solo storytelling takes us on a journey with a woman investigating why holes have started appearing in her garden. Along the way, we encounter a mysterious government department, a cigarette-chewing detective, a strange fantasy forest on the roof of an office block, and a cave filled with an anxiety-dream version of domestic life. The ending is a piece of Monty Python existentialist whimsy.
It takes a while to warm up to As Far As We Know, with its fast madcap tale read off a big pile of papers from a Soviet-style file. The drab office-desk set-up is lit by a single lamp whose bulb changes colours, with an improv guitar-and-drums soundtrack fading in and out as fragments of text in square brackets flash up on the screen. Bits of Kafka, Pynchon and Chandler are thrown in: a kind of gonzo noir by numbers, perhaps. But there’s certainly a commitment to the bit here. A nicely teed-up final sequence, where you both don’t get it and do get it at the same time, is charmingly and effectively delivered. Head along, but be warned: there’s dry ice...
As Far As We Know, Summerhall, until 31 August, 10.40am; plus 23 & 24 August, 3pm; picture: Mihaela Bodlovic.