Torn (James Mills)

Torn by Faux Theatre is an emotive and passionate piece of theatre that is told with great heart and humility. Often physical theatre can be scary for the casual theatre-goer but Torn manages to throw this idea out the window and, despite having no dialogue, this is one of the most accessible and sympathetic shows I have seen.

The piece itself is simple in form – but that’s not to say it isn’t complex. It revolves around a woman, played by Artistic Director Francisca Morton, who has suffered the painful loss of a loved one – whether this is through death, a break-up or something else is up to the audience to decide. Despite the heavy source material, Torn remains constantly charming and often very funny and reveals a very effortless human experience that will take you on a journey through joy, fun, sorrow, loss, desire, envy and acceptance. Anybody who has experienced any form of loss will readily relate to this strong performance.

The presence of a live Foley artist,  Barney Strachan, adds another layer of performance. There are times when you can see him preparing a sound-effect you recognise and you understand exactly what this will do to the character on stage and you cannot help but laugh at the anticipation. Of course it adds far more than just humour and it lends itself massively to creating texture and depth in the piece that would not be possible otherwise. Strachan is, in equal parts, removed and connected to the performance on stage and it is all gels together beautifully.

 

When Physical Theatre is done correctly it should be open, accessible and immensely enjoyable. Torn achieves all of this effortlessly and is not to be missed.