Theatre review: The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other (until 12/4/08)
The Lyttelton Theatre at the National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 – map
Rating: ** (out of 5)
Review by: James Maidment
For some, one of the great pleasures in life is to simply sit down in a square or park and watch as it passes by. Peter Handke is clearly one of these people as The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other is a 90-minute long replication of that experience played out on stage.
With a mute cast of 27, all of whom play tens of characters during the play (with some of them being only for a few seconds), vignettes and captured moments race across the stage in a torrent.
The set design is sparse to the point of being bleak, but lighting is well used to evoke moods, the time of day and most particularly the weather. Meanwhile, a minimalist soundtrack complements the visual action without intruding.
All of this may sound great on paper, but the problem with the play is directly related to the central conceit. There are only a few sections where there is any continuity between characters. Therefore, there’s no compelling reason to concentrate your attention on or care about what is happening. Missing a part of the play makes no difference to your experience of the rest of it. (I can attest it’s possible to nod off for a minute or so and not feel as if you’ve missed anything).
Without a hook to draw you in, 90 minutes, with no interval, is about 60 minutes too long and it feels like a play that would be more fun to act in than to watch.
An interesting idea, but it’s questionable whether it’s worth the price of admission when you could simply find a square, sit down, and watch.
Further information:
The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other (official site)
The National Theatre (official site)
