Back Loft

At just 60 minutes, Seeing and Dreaming'sinterval for tea and nostalgically themed biscuits seems unnecessary, but it serves as a dividing point between two different acts. Thematically, the play addresses ageing and mortality. In part one, we meet Dorothy (Vanessa Earl), a pensioner attending to the simple routines of her life. Her shadow is projected on to a wall, accentuating her hunched back and shuffled movements. It's a quiet observational performance whose understatement almost undermines its message.

Part two is the real triumph and more of a collaboration. Michael, a dying man confused by his memories, is presented as a puppet, controlled by Sarah Fuller with nuanced tenderness. Michael is confined to a bed (his sheet is used as a canvas for projecting his recollected ravings) and his imagination comes to life, through drawings, music and choreographed puppetry. This is a moving mediation on the end of life, and the memories contained within a lifetime.

Ends Saturday

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