Underneath the arches: it's the hippest hangout in London. The Southwark Playhouse has followed Shunt's lead and moved into a railway arch and, like those other site-specific masters Punchdrunk, it offers a rambling promenade production. Unfortunately, this Shuntdrunk hybrid forgets that rambling is best left to actors and audience rather than the script.
Director Joel Scott certainly has a keen eye for the atmospheric as the audience is commanded to don black cowls, kneel and chant in Latin. Traipsing through a dank, cavernous expanse, we witness a frenzied night in the fevered lives of 12th century philosopher-lovers Abelard and Heloise.
Frustratingly, Gillian Clarke's script isn't much help to those not already familiar with the pair's emotional and ecclesiastical plight, and all too often the place overwhelms the play.
Until 22 Sept. (southwarkplayhouse.co.uk).
Reverence: A Tale Of Abelard And Heloise
Southwark Playhouse
Shipwright Yard, corner of Tooley Street and Bermondsey Street, SE1 2TF
