I saw this show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, equipped only with the prior knowledge that ‘Mile End’ is a tube stop in the East End and my great expectations, based on a friend’s ‘must-see’ recommendation. I was far from disappointed, in fact, I can honestly say it is the most touching and powerful play I have seen this year.
The play explores the story of two parallel lives whose characters are oblivious to each other until a final, tragic meeting at the bitter end. Kate and Alex, played by the artistic directors, are a domesticated couple whose bickering hints at ‘a hard year’ and an attempt to try and make things work. Their banter moves between unintentionally hurtful and light-hearted, at times providing necessary relief from the bigger picture and questions raised about intuition and fate.
Michael on the other-hand, is a neurotic and isolated single man living alone in a block of flats and seems to have his most meaningful relationships with the women at the call centre at the Met Weather Office. His mental stability worsens as he grows more agitated and becomes more reliant on his medication, all the time aware of what is happening and where his path is leading.
I learned after that this was a collaborative project from Analogue that has been evolving since 2002 and was inspired by members of the company’s experiences of London life. In the hands of a lesser company, the degree of involvement given to aspects of lighting, music, constantly moving staging, altered visual perspectives and video projections could have been clumsy and distracting. Instead, this gave the narrative a beautifully fluid and contemporary feel, as different parts of the stage are expertly used-sometimes simultaneously-to create a dream-like sequence of events.
Character’s lives are subtly manipulated by the masked stage-hands, whose presence alternates between the invisible and the profoundly sinister, as they take on the role of servants of fate. The steps towards a tragic conclusion where all characters eventually collide is played out over the course of an hour. What is interesting is that the audience anticipate the conclusion, as do the characters, who know from dreams, symbolic signs and feelings, but the meaning and impact is strengthened, despite this knowledge. The questions raised linger on after the play is over, and especially after reading about the events from which the play was conceived.
The honest portrayal of these opposing lives, set against the backdrop of an oppressive city was perfect in its empathy, without ever crossing over into sentimentality. Movingly accurate in its emotional charge and pace, I defy anyone to see this play and fail to feel its significance in so many aspects of modern life.
