REVIEW: Love and Information at Sheffield Crucible

5/5
the company of Love and Informationthe company of Love and Information
the company of Love and Information

Towards the end of Love and Information, one of the 100 characters to appear on the stage announces, “maybe there’s all sorts of other things we haven’t evolved to perceive”.

This struggle ‘to perceive’ runs throughout Caryl Churchill’s play as her characters fight to make sense of the world through the distribution of information.

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Churchill has created a work that is as complicated as humanity itself, and as you hurtle through the numerous miniature vignettes that make up the one act piece it flourishes into a thought-provoking snapshot of existence on the planet.

We visit a prisoner convinced God told her to commit a crime; we see a woman reveal she is her ‘sister’s’ mother; we watch a schizophrenic battle with voices in his head; we hear a family reflect on past memories.

The flexible set aids the ever-changing storylines, transforming from a church altar, to a dance floor to an art gallery.

The two levels of square frames are reminiscent of high-rise tower blocks, creating a sense that we are peering into people’s private lives.

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At times, the lights come up on the audience, inviting us into the piece.

We find ourselves playing ‘the audience’ in a performance of a song, clapping obediently at the end, perfectly in role.With 100 characters but only six actors, Love and Information is a marathon for the performers.

The Sheffield cast didn’t miss a beat, jumping in and out of costumes, accents and roles without a moment’s hesitation.

For this fast-paced play to work, the audience must be immersed in every single scene, not pondering on the narrative they saw seconds before.

It is credit to the cast that instead of getting lost in a web of disconnected narratives, we learnt a little bit more about what it means to be human.

To July 14.