Londoners Magazine

Muireann Bolger findsThe Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other is a show with a difference.

The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other, National Theatre

Written by legend of experimental theatre Peter Handke and directed by James Macdonald, the play has 450 characters played by 27 actors and virtually no dialogue.

The setting is a stark, grey urban centre in which a horde of colourful, voiceless characters pass by.

A panoramic view of city life is presented as skate boarders, bag ladies, giddy teenagers, businessmen, competitive gym bunnies and many others make fleeting appearances.

Although there is no verbal interaction, a medley of sounds from thunder and screams to meditative jangling captures the mood of these rapidly changing scenes.

As the action progresses the characters become more surreal. The uncanny image of a woman covered in water slinks across the stage. A bedraggled Moses drags his tablets of stone from Mount Sinai and even the devil pops up.

Each character enacts a private drama, their actions and expressions creating a complex web of different stories.

These often occur simultaneously and while this succeeds in reflecting the diversity of modern urban life, the overall dramatic effect lacks focus.

However, the play does provide an insight into the transient nature of life and experience. The most poignant moment occurs when a distraught character begins to gesticulate violently, collapses to the ground and dies.

The couple in the distance watch as he is carried away, and they begin to make frenzied love. The moment of solemnity is broken and the cycle of life resumes.

The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other is a thought-provoking show that fans of experimental theatre will enjoy. However, the lack of any central characters or voices in addition to the constant dramatic shifts makes it exhausting rather than entertaining for the newcomer.